


On a Different Band

by thisiswhyishouldntwritefanfic



Series: Changing the Station [2]
Category: Heathers (1988), Pump Up the Volume (1990)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Brotherly Bonding, Crossover, F/M, Family, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-06 06:50:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14051337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisiswhyishouldntwritefanfic/pseuds/thisiswhyishouldntwritefanfic
Summary: Still recovering from their abduction, JD and Mark plus the rest of their new "family" have to face the lingering issues at Westerburg High and Hard Harry's future, all complicated by the unsealing of certain court records from their past.Sequel to Static on the Airwaves.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There is a part of me that says I must be crazy to even think of doing this, as Static is... well, it's complete. It ties up many of its loose ends (not all of them, but many) and it is a favorite despite me having some lingering doubts about plot points and decisions I made.
> 
> There's also me doing another big crossover at the moment that is showing no signs of quitting any time soon, but that's not really the main problem.
> 
> I'm afraid I'll ruin this world by playing in it again, but I have wanted to do this for a while. I just had to get a few things out of my system first. I'm also not making "These Dreams" official canon to this world, though the boys do discuss having trouble sleeping again.

* * *

“And this is Hard Harry, reminding you to sleep upside down and dance in the rain,” Mark said, ignoring the looks he was getting as he signed off. This was so much easier when he didn't have an audience, and now it seemed like he was guaranteed at least one person, if not two or three watching him every night.

“That made no sense, you know,” JD observed, coming over to lean against the desk. Mark looked up at his twin and shrugged. He wasn't at his best these days, and they all knew it. He still felt every bit of his injuries, and he tried hard not to take the pain medication any more than he had to, knowing JD took it even less often than he did.

Somehow, his brother's tolerance for pain was more than a little unsettling, but then JD had endured Bud Dean for years. Mark had only dealt with him for a day, and it was more than enough for anyone.

“It's not like it's unusual,” Nora said. “Half the time Harry didn't make sense. It was just fun to listen to him go off on weird things as well as the angst we all deal with, and to be... entertained and drawn in and... Well...”

“What she means is she loves you,” JD said, and Mark smacked him. His brother just laughed, going over to his own girlfriend and wrapping his arms around her.

“So... how exactly are you going to take your dad up on that offer he made?” Veronica asked, voicing the question Mark had been trying to figure out for a few days now. “I mean, you know about the whole 'legitimizing your act' idea, but no one's actually made contact with Hard Harry, so... what are you going to do?”

Mark grimaced. “Are you asking if I plan on telling my parents I'm Hard Harry?”

“The grace period of 'you almost died so we'll forgive you about anything' is almost over,” Nora said as she crossed over to him. “If you're going to tell them without huge repercussions, it would have to be now, I think.”

Mark was aware of that, which was probably part of the reason he'd been having so much trouble sleeping lately. He didn't know how to face his parents over the Hard Harry thing, even if they'd seemed more accepting than pretty much every other parent at Sherwood. He'd outright lied to them a few times when it came to the radio thing, and even when he hadn't, he'd said some things about them he didn't know that he wanted them to know about, but as he knew his dad, at least, had reviewed all the tapes, he was not sure he could ever say that was him.

“You still won't tell them,” JD said, and Mark flinched.

“Would you?”

“Fuck, no, but then I didn't start this weirdo therapy on the air that caught on with all of Sherwood, either,” JD said. He frowned. “You know, come to think of it, I'd probably have been more likely to burn the school down or something.”

“Not now, though,” Veronica said, looking up at him, and he just shrugged.

“So we need a way to get your dad's offer to Hard Harry so he can agree to it with some stipulations like... he's not telling them who he is or something,” Nora said. “I don't know that it's going to work unless you come clean. The point was to have him be licensed and approved by the school.”

“Which is kind of against everything Harry stands for,” Mark said, rubbing his forehead. “I don't think I can do that. Can I?”

“I think if we're getting existential about this bullshit, we need to be drunk,” JD said, and Mark winced again. He'd never actually been drunk before, but he had a feeling JD knew way too much about what that was like.

“Not tonight,” Veronica said. “My parents are expecting me home for a change.”

JD tensed up. “What? You never said—you're going to sneak back out and come back, right?”

The naked desperation in his brother's voice had Mark wanting to fidget for another reason, and he grabbed his cigarettes off the desk, grimacing as he rose and went toward the door. Nora followed him, which he'd expected, but he figured JD and Veronica would rather have the rest of that conversation alone.

“She's not actually going to go home,” Nora said, shutting the door behind them and taking a cigarette from Mark. “No way. Those two... they're practically inseparable. And your brother is so not over the nightmare thing.”

Neither of them were, but while Mark had an abbreviated horror show of Bud trying to pack in seventeen years worth of abuse into a few hours, JD had lived that. “Well, her parents still don't love him, despite my parents doing what they can to calm them down.”

Nora nodded, blowing out some smoke. “So... plan there?”

“Depends on what Veronica decides, though we could always try and do something that would impress her parents and convince them he's more... likeable than he is.”

Nora laughed. “Oh, come off it. You two really care about each other. In the short time you've known each other, you've become closer than anyone else in our clubhouse is with their siblings.”

“There's also huge age gaps and gender differences with most of those cases.”

“So?”

“So when are you going to admit your home life is more messed up than you're letting anyone know or there's no way you could be over here every night without people noticing?” Mark asked, and Nora stared at him long enough for him to regret asking. Still, he wasn't stupid. She shouldn't be able to come and go like she did. She never seemed to have to ask her parents for permission, not like the others, and never checked in with them. It was like they didn't exist.

“They're not Bud Dean,” Nora said. “They just... work all the time and could care less what I do so long as I'm not in their way.”

“Neglect is still abuse.”

Nora turned toward him, wrapping her arms around him. “It's not that bad, okay? I promise it isn't. If it was, you'd really know. I wouldn't lie about that. Especially not after what happened to you and JD.”

He nodded, though a part of him was still worried.

* * *

“You can't go,” JD said, hating himself for the words. God, he was so fucking weak. The idea of facing a whole night without Veronica next to him was already freaking him out, and it wasn't like he'd really be alone. If he asked, his brother would stick around with him.

It wasn't the same. Mark was a great guy and all, but it wasn't like they had grown up sharing rooms or beds and it was just... awkward to be in the same space, sometimes. People still stared at them, even after JD was able to replace at least part of his wardrobe and kept to his trench coat to help differentiate himself from his twin.

The forced haircuts from surgery had not helped any, and honestly, he didn't want to go back to school until it had grown back out. Not because he was vain, but because he was determined to be his own person even if Mark looked exactly like him. 

Well, almost exactly like him. Mark had glasses, after all.

JD was never getting them, even if his eye sight got worse, which he thought maybe might be the case after the whole head trauma thing, but he wasn't saying a damned word about that to anyone.

“Look, I've used just about every excuse I can with my parents, had all of my friends cover for me, and Mark's parents have tried, but the plain fact is my parents still can't accept that I might want to have sleepovers with a boy,” Veronica said. She reached up to touch his face. “I don't want to go, but they said I really would be grounded again if I didn't.”

JD choked. “Veronica, I... I can't do this without you.”

She winced, and he hated himself for the admission, but all he saw when he closed his eyes if she was more than a few feet away from him was her death, Bud taking her from him like he had his mom—yeah, that was suicide, but JD never had any illusions about why his mom took her own life—and how he'd almost taken his brother and everything else.

Bud hated him, and he would do that, given half a chance. If they let him out on bail before his trial, if he managed to get acquitted somehow... the nightmare would start all over again, but it would be his life, just like it had been before.

“It's not forever,” Veronica said. “Just... one night, and I'll be back first thing in the morning. Mark's dad cleared stuff with our teachers so me and Nora can be with you in the daytime and keep up with class, just like the two of you and—”

“The nights are always the worst.”

Veronica sighed, wrapping her arms around him. “I suppose we could see if they'd relinquish custody of me to Mark's parents. Then I could be here all the time.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Well, if Heather hadn't poisoned them against you and we hadn't made a few mistakes of our own... things could be different, but my parents are still having a hard time accepting me as a grown up, and if they knew about the rest of it—”

“Come on. For all the jokes about it, we haven't actually had sex since I got out of the hospital.”

“No, not really because you're still hurting and I refuse to break you, but it's not like they see it that way. I'm still surprised Mark's parents are as accepting of it as they seem to be.”

JD snorted. “Because they're not stupid enough to think we're actually doing the whole thing because she's a nurse and knows better. Your parents are always going to think the worst of me. It's fucking ridiculous. Of all the bad shit I've ever done, I'm getting judged for the stuff I didn't even do.”

“Well, you did kick Kurt and Ram's asses—”

“Please, like anyone couldn't have.”

“And we did stay out really late one night because we did have sex and we did sneak you into my room several times for that purpose and—”

“Are you agreeing with them?”

“Just clarifying. There was stuff we've done that is legitimately what they're upset about, not just the stuff Heather lied or exaggerated about,” Veronica said. “Look, I... I love you, and I don't want to lose you or go home right now. I'm just trying to do this so it's not worse for us later. Because getting grounded again would really make things difficult, and I am not getting sent off to boarding school, either. We're going to finish school here, together. You and me. And maybe we do college. Maybe we don't. Whatever comes, it's us facing it together.”

He leaned his head against hers. “I don't... I know Bud just... he... too much good has happened lately, you know? I don't... I don't trust good. There's always something really bad coming when things seem good.”

She sighed. “Sometimes the good stays, too. This is one of those times, because we are going to make it one of those times. I swear.”

“And yet you're still going.”

“Only for a few hours. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can.”

* * *

“You can say it, you know. I'm pretty fucking pathetic without her,” JD said, coming up next to Mark to watch the station wagon with the girls drive away. Mark had a feeling his observation about Nora's family was why she'd said she needed a ride just before Veronica left, and it made him feel sick all over again.

“Like you're the only one,” Mark said. “Let's face it, neither of us copes all that well with our problems.”

“You have the non-violent solution.”

“Yeah, but it's not like people would say breaking the law, hosting illegal broadcasts, and stealing my neighbor's phone line is exactly... sane or right, either,” Mark said, shivering as the night got cooler. “I wish I knew what the hell to do. I should just tell them, but I can't. I'm afraid. I act like I'm not, but I'm terrified. I keep thinking I'll lose all of this—you, Nora, Veronica, the rest of the club—if I say anything to my parents about Hard Harry. And it's stupid because they forgave just about everything and seem to be totally fine with the whole girls sleeping over aspect of this... which most parents wouldn't be—”

“Um, your parents aren't stupid, and our injuries kind of hinder the missionary position, so—”

“Seriously? Did you have to—”

“You started it,” JD said, and Mark sighed. 

He had kind of brought it up, but he didn't want to think about it now. Used to be he talked a lot about sex, but he'd come to understand just how immature his own attitude toward sex was when he'd had to tackle topics like abuse and even rape on the air. He wasn't sure how to deal with that, but making masturbation a giant joke on his show no longer felt half so funny as it was when he started.

“What is it?” JD asked. “That's not the usual reaction you get when I tease you about your prudish side.”

“I... I just was thinking... I mean... how much of what I did as Hard Harry was... flat out wrong? I mean, isn't it better if it just gets shutdown all the way?”

JD frowned. “After you exposed Sherwood's corruption, found a murderer, and tried to save a bunch of idiots from killing themselves because they don't have better outlets for their pain, you think you should just... stop?”

Mark ran a hand over his face. “It's a bit much for one person to be... that for everyone, and when I think about the early stuff I did... I don't know.”

“I think you're just looking for reasons to avoid telling your parents, which I understand, but I don't think you can walk away from this. It's not that simple anymore. Maybe if you hadn't reached anyone, but you did. You are these kids' voice, and yeah, it's way too fucking much for one person, but then again... you're a twin, so... maybe you're not one person.”

“Um...”

“I mean... no one's ever needed or wanted me before, but... there were a couple times there when you and I were... a team for Hard Harry, so technically, you're not alone in it. And Nora filled in for you once, and Veronica knows, so it's not just on you. You actually stand to do more good now than before, since you can ask the girls if there's an issue that is more up their alley than ours, and just thinking about how much you've helped with that already...” JD shrugged. “I don't think this is done. Remember, there's still the missing kids your dad is looking into, and Creswood needs to lose her job and Paige was talking about how messed up it is that Mazz got expelled, so there's still stuff that needs to be told, and you have a way to do that.”

“Yeah, but should I?” Mark asked, looking at him. “I'm just a messed up kid myself. I don't know the answers. I'm just as scared and lost as everyone else, maybe more, since what Bud did... I don't... that still... terrifies me even with him in jail, and I don't know how you can face it because he was so much worse to you and—”

“And you still had enough of a clear head to call the cops in his office and save our asses.”

Mark snorted. “Yeah, but that doesn't change what he did or what he said—I mean, when he had me and he was telling me how he was going to make up for seventeen years and how he'd done this kind of stuff to you when you were—”

“Don't,” JD said. “Just... don't. Okay? I'm fine. It's done. He's in jail, and I'm not—I'm done with the bastard. I see him again, I'll probably kill him, but he's not here now. He doesn't get to fuck up my life anymore.”

Mark didn't know what to say to that, not when JD was practically falling apart over the idea of Veronica sleeping at her own house for a night. Bud still had a hold on both of them, in prison or not, and it wasn't going away anytime soon.

“We could watch movies.”

“What?”

“Neither of us is going to sleep now,” Mark said, and JD didn't even try to argue it. “So let's just watch movies until morning.”

“Fine, but none of that romantic bullshit the girls keep subjecting us to.”

“Like you do anything but make out with Veronica when they do.”

“You could be having your own session with Nora if you wanted.”

Mark shook his head, still not really comfortable with being so... public about his affection for Nora. “Let's do something that won't remind us of anything that's bothering us.”

JD snorted. “You think that actually exists?”

Mark thought about it for a minute. “Um... maybe not.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning is a bit tense for various reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um... I don't know? I may have gone too far with some stuff. I keep fearing so many things with this, and the whole panic attack day didn't help with confidence, but I did make myself laugh, so maybe this will amuse others?

* * *

“Morning, Mrs. Hunter,” Nora said as the door opened. The older woman frowned at them, and she prepared herself for a whole speech on why they still weren't required to be in school, but Veronica just shook her head and stepped inside, right past her.

“They locked the door downstairs,” Veronica said, going straight for the stairs—and, Nora had to assume—JD.

“I see,” Mrs. Hunter said. “I... I'm sorry. I was under the impression both of you were here last night. I didn't know you'd gone home. We'd already gone to bed, of course, but... I'm so used to you two staying over it's actually stranger when you don't.”

It was strange as hell for Nora, too, being back in her own room in the silent house, her mom asleep for her early morning and her dad out of town again. She almost regretted going, but Mark had pushed and she'd chosen the petty path rather than staying where she wanted to be because she didn't want to face an unpleasant conversation.

Sometimes she thought she was only really bold when she was writing those 'Eat Me, Beat Me' letters and was mostly a coward.

“I suppose it explains why neither of them have made it upstairs yet,” Mrs. Hunter said, looking over at the stairs. “Normally they've made their appearance for breakfast by now, but if they were up all night again...”

Nora winced. She really should have stayed, not that it would have helped JD any. “Veronica's parents were being... insistent last night, I guess. Mine aren't so worried, but they do want me home every now and then.”

“Of course they do,” Mrs. Hunter said. “Well, if you can persuade either of them to eat, which is unlikely if they were up all night, there's pancakes, but I'd better get to work today. Please call me if anything... happens.”

“They should be fine, Mrs. Hunter,” Nora said. “No signs of relapse or any lingering brain damage or anything.”

They had a whole list of things to watch for, which drove the boys crazy, JD especially, and he'd mouth off like crazy if someone asked him about one. Nora was pretty sure both of them were fine, though sometimes she worried, not so much about the physical wounds which seemed to be healing fine, but the other stuff.

That lingered, and it was not easy to watch either of them struggle with it, not just the nightmares but the wariness and fear and the way they both seemed unwilling to leave the house unless forced. Oh, sure, they both smoked in the backyard, but going somewhere besides there was almost completely out of the question.

It really didn't help that the one time they'd gotten Mark out to get the mail from Hard Harry's box, there was a cop car sitting there watching for him.

He'd told everyone on air about it, made a big fuss and deal, and he still talked about it, so she knew it was stressing him out, but he hadn't talked to any of them about it except maybe his brother.

Nora figured that needed to go on the unofficial list of things to know when dating a twin—some things only the twins would ever talk about.

She'd started keeping it not long after Mark's release from the hospital, though she had added some stuff from before then, before they were “official,” if they even were because sometimes he had her wondering about that.

She took the stairs down herself, seeing Veronica standing in the doorway to the clubhouse room.

“Another 'this needs a camera' moment?”

Veronica moved back so Nora could get a peek at the two of them, both boys asleep on the couch, heads propped against each other, side by side.

“Yeah, that needs a camera.”

“Unless they faked it for our benefit.”

“You think so?”

Veronica took a breath and let it out. “I figure any second now JD's going to smirk and give himself away.”

“Not now that you've said something.”

Veronica shrugged, going over to the couch, circling behind it to stand behind JD. Nora grimaced, rushing over to the other side and waking Mark. Sure, if JD was faking, it would have been fine, but JD woke rather violently most days, and she was not going to leave Mark in the line of that fire even if he ended up in it half the time by his own choice.

Mark opened his eyes and frowned. “Nora?”

She pointed to where Veronica was planting a kiss on JD's forehead only to have him jerk awake and smack the couch where Mark was lying a minute before.

“Nice.”

Veronica frowned. “I was so sure he was faking.”

Mark shook his head. “Someone had the brilliant idea to watch horror movies last night, which went about as well as could be expected.”

“Was fine until someone got scared instead of mocking the stupidity of them and how fake that shark was,” JD muttered. “Seriously, horror movies are not that scary.”

“Says the boy whose life was a horror movie,” Mark grumbled. He rubbed his neck and winced. “I... I just said that out loud, didn't I?”

“Yeah,” JD said, his voice cold. “You did.”

* * *

Mark leaned back against the couch with a sigh, watching his brother storm out of the room and Veronica leave after him. He hadn't meant to say it out loud, but it felt true, like JD was numb to too much of this because he'd lived with Bud's abuse for so long, but it wasn't at the same time. JD was still sensitive to a lot of it, but he buried it and it got worse when it did come out and show itself.

“I can't seem to talk without saying something wrong anymore,” Mark muttered, and Nora frowned as she sat down next to him. He rolled his eyes. “Come on. You left last night you were so mad at me for asking about your parents.”

“They're just never home. It's not that bad. My dad has a job... he works ten days, is home four, crams as much fun in to his days as he can when he's here, so he... he's not home much then, either, and my mom goes with him some of the time but mostly she just works because she needs to stay busy or something. I don't know. It's stupid. It's not a crime, and I'm fine. I'm not hiding the stuff JD was. They've never hit me. Neither of them has Chandler like tendencies, either.”

Mark grimaced.

“Your mom made pancakes.”

“Ugh. Not right now. My stomach feels like it wants to lose a whole week's worth of meals. The medication they have us on so does not agree with staying up all night.”

“So maybe you should try sleeping,” Nora said, and he snorted. “You do need to sleep. Both of you. And if you're not even trying when we're not here—”

“I try, okay?” Mark said, defensive. He didn't like being dependent on anyone, but the fact was that it was quicker and easier to shed a nightmare about being locked away forever like Bud threatened or someone being dead—JD mostly, though not always—if someone else was in the room with him. That alone did wonders for calming his nerves after a really bad one.

“You can't ignore it for JD, either.”

Mark sighed. His brother was in worse shape in some ways. “I'm pretty sure Bud used to wake him in the middle of the night to hurt him, and he's not really okay unless she's with him. It's not the same for him. He said her shampoo, her scent, gets him back to where he really is, so he knows he's safe. Without that... I don't think he can sleep. He's still expecting Bud or... I don't know, someone else to hurt him.”

“What, like Bud let someone else pound on him?”

Mark shrugged. “I don't know. It's just... It's not like Kurt and Ram were the first or only bullies to attack him. I'm sure there were others.”

“Yeah, but they wouldn't be in his house,” Nora said, reaching up to touch Mark's face. “You don't suppose his mom...?”

“God, I hope not,” Mark whispered, and Nora pulled him closer, holding him, and he knew he was damned lucky she'd come back this morning.

* * *

“Did you sleep at all?” Veronica asked, coming into JD's bedroom behind him. She stopped and pulled the door shut, wanting to be alone, even if she doubted Mark or Nora would follow them right now. “Because I didn't, and I swear, I'm going to runaway just as soon as I can figure out how they won't come right there for me as soon as I do.”

JD snorted, and she crossed over to wrap her arms around him. He stiffened, but she held on, hoping that was just stress and not pain. She didn't think it was or he'd have cursed by now. She knew she should have checked, but she just wanted to touch him, needed it after a long, lonely night in her room.

The fact that her bedsheets still smelled vaguely of him from the nights he'd stayed over did not help her get much rest.

“I mean it. I missed you. So much.”

JD turned, lifting her chin so he could see her eyes. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Don't be a jerk,” she warned, not sure what to think of this mood. Did he really doubt her just because she'd gone home? She'd told him why she'd gone. “My parents aren't... I have to make a concession every now and then. It's... it's like I said, they'd know where I was, and I'm not going to ruin things for you and the Hunters by having them call me in as a runaway and forcing the cops to come get me here.”

He shook his head, turning away from her, but she wouldn't let him do that. They needed to have this out.

She reached up to put both hands on his face. “I love you, okay? I'm not going anywhere, not for any longer than I have to be gone. You and me... we're going to be adults, grow old and die, remember? Just a few more months.”

“And, what, I'll give you a ring while still living in my brother's parents' basement?”

“I'm not so sure we need rings, but I don't care if you still live with the Hunters. They're good people who have taken us all in, not just you. I mean, they let us have a clubhouse here, and they've made agreements on our school assignments—agreements that still have the other girls feeling very jealous—and they host group meals and slumber parties and everything.”

He started to walk away again. “Veronica, you're college-bound and too smart not to go for a kid in a trench coat you barely know.”

“I know a lot more about you than you think, and what I don't know, I'm still planning on learning. You're not stupid, you know. You have a crappy school record because you were moved around so much—why didn't Bud just homeschool you, anyway?”

JD stopped, leaning against his dresser. “Oh, I think he'd have loved to have his favorite punching bag accessible at all hours but he was too fucking lazy when it came to dealing with practical stuff to actually make homeschool possible. He wouldn't check assignments or communicate with the teachers, none of that. Not after she died.”

Veronica winced, aware she'd stumbled onto something painful again. She crossed over and lifted up his hand, wrapping it in hers “Well, you can quote plenty of things to me, and I don't feel like I have to dumb myself down around you, not like I did with the Heathers, and I think we can get you into college if you want, but you know what? I'm not even sure _I_ want college.”

He frowned. “You don't?”

“Well, I think I'd go nuts just doing the stay at home mom thing, being a trophy wife with kids or something, but I'm not sure what I want to do yet,” she admitted. She had no idea what kind of major she'd pursue or what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Only one part of it was at all clear right now. “I still have time to figure it out, and wherever it is, it's going to involve you somehow.”

“Hmm.”

She pulled on his hands, leading him away from the dresser. “I bet you're even smart enough to find a way around those injuries of yours.”

He laughed. “Oh, I already did when it comes to making you very happy, haven't I?”

She flushed. “I know, but I meant it... I missed you.”

He probably knew he was being baited, and she should do better than a distraction, but she knew it worked to draw him out of moods like this, and it didn't always end in sex, though she didn't mind it when it did because it was good between them.

Someone knocked on the door and they both jumped.

“JD?” Mr. Hunter called. “I just wanted to remind you that we've got that meeting with the lawyer this afternoon. Did you want to meet us at the courthouse, or should we pick you up here?”

“Uh... We'll meet you,” JD said, completely tense, and Veronica knew that the mood from earlier was gone.

“All right. I'm heading out, Marla's already left, but there's food if you want it, and we'll see you later.”

JD managed a nod, and Veronica reached up to reassure him.

“It's not like they're going to take custody away from the Hunters. That would just be stupid. And didn't they say they were going to try and unseal the records on your adoption? Maybe this is the ruling about that.”

JD grabbed hold of her, and she let him, knowing he needed something to cling to, since he would never believe this was permanent, not even if the Hunters _were_ able to adopt him.

“You know no matter what that record says, I'm there for you, and you're not going to lose Mark, either. You two... you've got a strong bond, too. And like any of the others would let something happen to this 'family' of ours.”

He snorted. “They call me the scary one, remember?”

“And you love it. Don't deny it. You like being unpredictable and extreme.”

“It makes an impression.”

“It does,” she agreed. “Stuck with me so much I think you're stuck with me now.”

“Other way around.”

“You want a slushie?”

“You do know how to tempt a man.”

She laughed. “And if I was talking about your hamster?”

“Then I'd say you were trying to distract me, and I should punish you for that somehow, but since you're afraid you're going to break me...”

She rolled her eyes. “Slushie later. First you need a shower before court.”

He grimaced. “You just had to go and ruin the mood.”

“Well, I didn't say I wouldn't join you, and you do love using up all the hot water so Mark grumbles at you all day, right?”

JD smirked and pulled her toward the bathroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The others show up to be supportive (maybe) for court.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to take a bit and decide if this was the path the story should go. Honestly, I had been planning on focusing mostly on a different angle, but this came up as I was writing the chapter and would not be denied, so... I decided to let it unfold. We'll see if I'm making a huge mistake or not. I am still a bit sure I must be, but that's how I always feel with stories.

* * *

“I officially hate this place.”

Martha looked over at Duke, frowning. She thought that announcement was a little late, all things considered. Shouldn't it have come up long before Heather Chandler died and things got really complicated around here? Though, if she thought about it, things were better for her now than they were before. She no longer sat alone or hid from social interaction, but she had a whole table of friends, and she felt like she could really call them that, Betty and Paige and Heather McNamara. Even Duke was close to something again, if a bit standoffish still, and while they could all feel the absence of the other two girls and the boys, it was still a nice group.

“Me, too,” McNamara said, running her hands over her arms, though how she could be cold in a room this full of people and with the air conditioning off, Martha didn't know.

Unless...

“Is Ram bothering you again?”

McNamara bit her lip, looking like she might cry. “I... It was... He cornered me at my locker earlier. No one else was here yet.”

“It's not like they're scared of us, though,” Duke muttered. “Everyone was scared of Heather Chandler, but without her or Jesse James, we're basically fucked because we're not a threat.”

“Why not?” Paige asked. “We're still a big group. Doesn't that count for anything?”

“Not with jerk idiots who only think with their dicks,” Duke said. “Only being male makes you worthy of anything other than a quick fuck you don't consent to.”

Betty winced. “Do you have to say it like that?”

“She is being honest,” Martha said, though she had to admit, her parents wouldn't love the profanity used by most of her friends. She wasn't talking that way herself, so they'd never really know unless one of them slipped up in front of them, but since their clubhouse meetings always happened at Mark's house, that was unlikely. “That's pretty much all they see us as. I can't believe I ever thought otherwise about Kurt Kelly.”

“Well, he did have that cute little kindergarten crush on you back in the day,” Duke said. “Not that he'd admit it now, but... Heather did use that against you when she got Veronica to forge that letter from him to you.”

“Thanks for that, by the way.”

Duke shrugged. “It was different then.”

It didn't make it hurt any less, but Martha didn't bother saying anything about that. It wasn't worth it. She wanted to forget it more than anything, even if it was the moment that got her listening to Hard Harry and changing things because that voice, that stranger, had stood up for her and it mattered.

“You brought the van today, right?” Paige asked, drawing Martha out of her thoughts.

“Why do we need the van today?” Betty frowned. “Please tell me we're not ditching again. My parents are still really mad about the suspension even though it wasn't my fault and—”

“Stay if you want,” Duke said. “But the rest of us are going, and you might not like it much on your own.”

“I definitely don't,” McNamara said. “I'm going for sure.”

“What did I miss?” Betty asked, looking around at them. “What is so important about today?”

* * *

“You are such a mess,” Nora said, reaching over to adjust Mark's shirt, admittedly missing his hair because she really wanted to touch it and thought right now he'd be looking a bit like a drowned cat if he still had more than the low buzz he'd been forced into by his surgery.

“JD and Veronica took all the hot water,” Mark grumbled. “On purpose, too. I know it was. Asshole.”

“Don't you mean assholes?”

“No, I mean—it was him, okay? He did it to screw with me—ugh—in more ways than one because you know they don't shower in a less than x-rated way. I don't understand. Why did I end up with such a jerk for a brother?”

Nora just laughed. “I think it comes with being siblings, and don't act like you couldn't get him back if you wanted to or that you don't actually want him around because that last part is definitely not true. You really like having a brother.”

Mark looked away, and she frowned, putting her hand on his arm, getting him to look back at her.

“What is it?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. It's stupid.”

“It's bothering you, and it can't be that stupid to get that kind of reaction out of you,” Nora disagreed. “What is going on? Please tell me.”

“It was just something I said to JD when we were in that basement, and I don't really want to repeat it, okay?” Mark said. He walked over to the sliding door and pulled it open, going outside. 

She sighed, following after him. She wasn't really sure why he wouldn't just tell her, but she'd kind of learned over the last few days that the two of them would only discuss what happened with Bud with each other. Maybe the cops, giving their official statements, but outside of that, no one but the two of them knew what had happened that day, and even the official statement had to be missing something.

JD wouldn't even tell Veronica, as codependent as they were, and that said something.

“You gonna share or what?” Nora asked, joining Mark against the wall. He passed her a cigarette without a word.

She lit, taking a drag and trying not to be bothered by how blatantly he was shutting her out. She supposed she'd done the same last night, leaving rather than discussing her family, but it wasn't the same thing at all.

She was about to try and say something about it when a van pulled up behind Veronica's station wagon, getting close enough to where it almost hit it. She frowned.

“What the hell are they doing here?” JD demanded, and she looked over to see him in the doorway.

“Was about to ask the same thing,” Mark said, putting out his cigarette. She wondered if he was thinking about going back inside, but he didn't have much time before McNamara had jumped out of the passenger seat and come running up to them.

“Good. We're not late.”

“Late for what? Why are you even here?”

“We're going to court with you,” Duke said, her pace slower but her voice louder and carrying from the edge of the yard. “Or did you think we wouldn't know about that?”

“I know I didn't tell you about it,” JD said. “And I doubt Mark did, either.”

“Don't look at me,” Nora said as both of them did. Why was she the designated asshole here? She hadn't said anything to anyone about it, either. She wasn't a blabber mouth, and if she did have a frustration to air about Mark or JD, it generally got said to Veronica and no further. There was the clubhouse and there were the smaller clubs of the twins or the girls dating the twins.

Unless it was Veronica who told.

“And I didn't, either,” Veronica said. “It was probably your parents, Mark. They aren't as secretive as you two are.”

“I think it's crap you try and keep this stuff from us anyway,” Duke said. “Aren't we supposed to be one big happy family now or some bullshit like that?”

“Big, yes, family no, and happy? Fuck no,” JD muttered, rolling his eyes. “Go away. You are not coming with us to court.”

“I'm not going back to school,” McNamara said. “Not without you.”

JD frowned. “What?”

“Ram's harassing her again,” Paige said. “Apparently 'big' as a group doesn't cut it when it comes to them.”

JD's mouth set in a thin line. “Great.”

“We can deal with that later,” Veronica said, touching his arm. “Try not to let it work you up. We need to get to the courthouse, and both of you need to be... calm for this.”

“Oh, please,” Duke muttered. “Like anyone would be stupid enough to separate them.”

That was a nice thought, Nora knew, but the obvious truth here was that it had been done before.

* * *

“Is anyone actually going to tell us _why_ we're going to court?” Heather asked as they walked up the steps to the courthouse, still annoyed that the four of them had been trying to keep this from them in the first place. It wasn't like Veronica and Nora were the only people that mattered, and sure, they were the ones sleeping with the guys, but that didn't make the, better than the rest of them. 

Honestly, Veronica was still slumming badly with JD, so why they thought she was any better Heather couldn't begin to guess.

“You shouldn't even be here to ask,” JD muttered, shaking his head. “None of us want you there, so fuck off and shut up.”

“What JD is trying to say behind his angry words is that we don't actually know,” Nora said, getting looks from both of the boys. She shrugged. “Well, no one told me, so either they're keeping it from us, too, or no one knows. You can all stop getting so bent out of shape about it.”

“They seriously didn't tell you why you had to be in court today?” Paige asked, frowning. “Why wouldn't they tell you?”

“Because they've got this idea in their heads that it's protecting us, but it's really not,” Mark answered. He looked at his hands. “My parents do that, you know. For all that some of their attitudes are kind of open and enlightened or ridiculously lax... It's not like they won't try and keep stuff from me for what they consider my own good.”

“Like your adoption, right?” Martha asked, and Mark shrugged, not looking at her.

“Just goes to show that all love is fucked up,” JD muttered, starting to take the last few steps two at a time and making Veronica frown at him as she tried to match his pace.

“JD—”

“Yes, even ours, damn it,” he snapped, yanking the doors open and going inside. Veronica stared at the doors, shaking her head.

Mark touched her back. “You know he's just lashing out because he's scared, right?”

She nodded. “Yeah, but it's still a jerk thing to do.”

“You know you don't have to put up with it,” McNamara said. “You helped me see that about Ram, remember? All of you did.”

“Ram is different. He's a bully and a rapist. JD's screwed up, but he hasn't done that.”

“And that is such a recommendation.”

“Screw you, Duke,” Veronica snapped, heading inside. Nora gave Heather a dirty look and followed after her, Mark with her.

“You know,” Paige said. “You could try and be a little nicer.”

Heather glared at her, aware of the other girls trailing inside after her, not that it was much of a surprise. Betty was too meek to do much of her own thinking, McNamara was a sheep, and Martha... well, she was just a bit desperate for people to like her, wasn't she?

Heather hadn't said anything that wasn't true, so screw it. She wasn't apologizing. JD had issues, and he needed to deal with them, not let Veronica hide them for him and pretend they didn't exist. Their relationship wasn't healthy, and everyone knew it.

Hell, even they did, she was almost sure of that.

Still, it wasn't like she loved having everyone hate her, either. She was many things, but she was not Heather Chandler.

* * *

“I think we're still on time,” Mark said, joining his brother at the sink in the restroom. It hadn't taken much to figure out where JD had gone. This was just about the only place he could be almost sure Veronica wouldn't follow him. Too bad he had a twin, right? 

JD gave him a dirty look. “Like I care if we're on time or not. Go away.” 

“Come on, I know you're worried, but don't do this. You know you don't really want to, especially not to Veronica.”

JD splashed water on his face. “Maybe she should just accept that I'm a jerk and go.”

“You're not just a jerk, and you have the ability to control how much of one you're being,” Mark reminded him. “And you're also very much not alone. This isn't... You don't have to push all of us away to protect yourself.”

JD shook his head. “How can you say that when you know if I'd stayed away from you, you wouldn't have that wonderful haircut and scars to match it?”

Mark leaned against the sink and faced him. “And it's right that you have any of yours? Even if he claimed that was your fault, that you deserved to be punished or something, it's wrong. It's fucked up, and it's not your fault. It's his. The defect is in him, not you. He just... made you think it was.”

“Take your radio shrink bullshit somewhere else.”

“No. And this is not bullshit or me being anything close to a shrink. It's the truth.”

JD took a breath and let it out. “I have been going over it in my head, Mark, and there's only one remotely good reason we could be here, and I don't even think we would be here if that's the case. They'd just vote it and be done.”

“You mean the birth records,” Mark said, having reached the same conclusion himself a while ago. If those got unsealed, it would probably be done without them there, and not even necessarily in this state since neither of them had been born here, though he wasn't sure how all of that worked.

“Yeah. Anything else... it's not good.”

“Maybe they want to make the custody thing permanent this time,” Mark said. “And that is a good thing. Either way, I don't think you want to hide in here.”

“No, I don't.” JD said, turning and shoving the door open so hard it cracked the tile. Mark winced and followed him out, trying not to let his brother's mood get to him.

“Oh, I have a very bad feeling about this,” Mark said, stopping next to JD outside the courtroom. He could see his parents talking with their lawyer, but that wasn't the problem. He didn't mind that guy. He'd been pretty helpful so far, getting the temporary custody in place so JD could stay with them, where he belonged.

No, it was the fact that Detective Rhodes was there, just to the side, and he looked... worried. Yeah, that was the word for it. He might have been a cop, and he probably saw some bad stuff over the years, even if Sherwood was a smaller town, but whatever was going on now distressed him enough to where he was showing it.

That could not be good.

“Yeah,” JD agreed, and Mark could tell that his brother was one step from bolting out of here. He didn't know what to do. He'd give him a cigarette if they weren't in a court building—he would even do it in front of his parents who were still not thrilled about the cigarette thing—but it wasn't going to be enough. He could tell.

Veronica slipped her hand into JD's, giving it a squeeze, and then the adults saw them. Mark felt the look his dad gave him like a punch to the gut. This was bad. It couldn't be anything other than bad. Really, really bad.

He swallowed, feeling Nora's hand on his back as the four of them walked over to join them.

“Well, it looks like we do have to have this hearing,” the lawyer began, and Mark frowned. There was some doubt about that? Really? “I was hoping it wouldn't be necessary.”

“What do you mean?” Nora asked. “Why wouldn't it be necessary? Or... why is it? Either one. Just tell us. You're starting to freak everyone out over here.”

Mark watched his father put his arm around his mom, another bad sign, and they exchanged a look as if trying to decide which of them had to be the bearer of bad news, but then Rhodes coughed and started speaking.

“You know that your father—”

“That asshole is not my father,” JD snapped. “Don't call him that.”

Rhodes flinched. “Okay, sorry. Um... Bud Dean, he was arraigned today. Pled not guilty, and they set bail for him.”

“No,” Veronica said in a small voice, but they all knew what Rhodes was about to say.

“He made bail. He's out.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JD and Mark react to the news, and the others try to find a way to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was struggling with this one again, not just because of too many brain dead from work days in a row. My plot was this giant blank page because I'd planned on going in another direction first, and I was not sure where to take it once I'd settled on this one as a part of it. And the characters didn't know, either, or if they did, they weren't sharing.
> 
> And I finally made some progress but not enough to finish yesterday and then today once again, the brain dead thing got me and I tried very hard to get past it, but it ended up a bit subdued... or something.

* * *

“No,” JD said, shaking his head. He looked at the cop and then the lawyer. “What the hell? Why would they do that? Maybe they'd ignore the shit he did to me, but to Mark? Seriously? How the fuck can they let him out?”

“They're idiots,” Nora said, but he ignored her, not willing to accept that. This couldn't be happening. The only thing keeping either of them halfway sane—well, Mark was better than JD was. He wasn't hung up on his girlfriend like without her there was no tomorrow—was the fact that Bud was behind bars.

“His lawyer argued he was involved in the community, had a commitment to his work and would not run, and the judge set it pretty high,” the lawyer explained. “I think he thought Mr. Dean wouldn't be able to afford it.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? He has a business he can move all over the country. He has money enough to buy television ads. And he's bought off people before. I told them that,” JD said. “This is ridiculous. You assholes didn't listen to a word either of us said, did you?”

“JD, that's not fair,” Mrs. Hunter said. “None of us here doubt you for a second. We're all worried, trust me.”

“I was just asking if there was any way to overturn that decision,” Mr. Hunter said, “but apparently, unless he violates the terms of his bail, there's nothing we can do.”

“And they're going to want to reassess your custody arrangements, JD.”

“The hell?”

“What about a restraining order?” Veronica asked. “You can get one of them, can't you?”

The lawyer grimaced. “Well, it is a term of his bail that he does not go within fifty feet of either of you—”

“He is not going to stick to that,” JD said. “Fuck, no. You know he won't. He's not going to quit now. No way.”

“JD's right. Bud told us he had that cabin all planned for when JD turned eighteen. He was going to take him there in the middle of the night, never let him out of there again. He's going to come back for him. Us,” Mark corrected. “I don't—I know that he was focused on JD, but now... he knows about me, and he's not going to let me go, either.”

Veronica wrapped her arms around him, and JD tensed up, feeling worse now than a minute ago. She was scared, and he hated seeing her afraid. It didn't help that he was flat out terrified. Bud had been angry before, but this? This was infinitely worse.

One of them would likely die for this, for all Bud threatened to keep them alive forever to torment.

“They can't really give custody of JD back to Bud, can they?” Nora asked. “With what he's accused of... that's just insane.”

“It's not happening,” Mr. Hunter said. “There's no way any of us would agree to that, court order or no court order.”

“JD stays with us,” Mrs. Hunter agreed. “But... we do have to see if they're going to extend the emergency custody order. This would be so much simpler if they would just let us adopt you.”

“Why won't they?” Veronica asked, frowning. “All I remember was you telling us you were going to try, not that they'd said no.”

“Officially,” the lawyer said, “Bud Dean's rights as a guardian won't be terminated until he's proven guilty of this crime, and all cautious overtures about severing those rights by his own volition were... rudely refused.”

“Yeah, I bet he told you to slurp shit and die,” JD muttered. “Fuck this. I'm not staying around for more idiots to screw up my life.”

“JD, you can't,” Veronica said, tugging on his coat. “You said it yourself. He's not going to stay away. He could be out there right now.”

“She's right,” Mark said. “I mean, I don't know him as well as you do, obviously, but from the time I spent with him... he'd be out there just to screw with your head. Our heads. You can't go alone. Neither of us can.”

JD was going to be sick. This couldn't be happening. Not again. He was supposed to be free of this bastard for good, but now he got to torment them up until the trial? Fuck this.

“Maybe we could create a distraction for you if he is,” Paige said, and they looked over at her. “You know, the group of us, so that he wouldn't even know you went by him on your way out? Not anything stupid, just... loud or attention getting.”

“Like... something from one of my cheer routines,” McNamara said. “I was cheer captain. I could figure out one.”

JD shook his head, pulling away from Veronica before they could stop him. He had to get away from them, from all of it, right now.

* * *

“I'll go after him,” Mark said. “Just... give us a few minutes, okay? He was saying he thought he was done with this, and now he's not and... I don't know... just... let me try and talk to him alone first.”

Veronica swallowed, clearly upset by that, and Nora didn't look much better as he left them to go after JD. The Hunters exchanged worried looks. Martha really didn't like this. She wished there was something she could do, but she couldn't think of anything. She was a bit surprised Heather hadn't suggested something cruel like using Martha as a bowling ball and sending her down the steps at Bud Dean or something, but she hadn't.

They were all a bit quiet, none of them sure what to do now.

“They can't reverse the custody, can they?” Betty asked. “He's still accused of a big crime against JD and Mark, so letting him have custody of JD again... that's just insane. It's like saying he didn't do anything, and we know he did.”

“I doubt they would, knowing what he's been accused of, but the courts are strange animals, and things don't always go the way you'd expect,” the lawyer told them, and Martha winced, trying to find some way of making this better.

“Isn't there anything we can do?” McNamara asked. “They looked so sad and so scared... we have to do something. I know JD is supposedly like... our protection, but we can protect them, right? Or maybe we could... I don't know... protect him—them—somehow? Not just with a distraction, but with more than that?”

“Well,” Paige said. “Mazz likes to think he's a bit scary, too, and he could probably help a bit, but I don't know... he's not exactly...”

“Boyfriend material?” Heather asked with a bit of a snide tone to her words.

“I think Paige was thinking more of how the boys would react to someone else joining our group, especially one as... difficult to get along with as Mazz seems to be,” Martha said. She was being kind. It wasn't just Ram Sweeney and Kurt Kelly who called her 'Dumptruck,' after all.

Paige winced. “I know he's never been that nice to you, Martha, but I think he was exaggerating some of that. Really.”

“Kind of like JD's need to appear tougher than he is?” Nora suggested. “Not that he's the only one that does. I think some others are just as guilty of that.”

She looked at Heather when she said it, but she wasn't the only one. 

“There's got to be more to our protection than just finding a boy to stand in for us,” Heather said. “We are stronger than that.”

McNamara stared at her. “You, maybe. Veronica and Nora, but the rest of us?”

“Hey,” Paige said, frowning. “I am. I didn't think that I was, but I am. I was so caught up in being perfect for so long... But I'm not perfect, and I accept that now. I don't have to be perfect. I don't want to be. Hard Harry showed me that, but I chose it on my own. I did it. I freed myself. We all did. We all can do a lot more. Like... maybe we use McNamara's natural athleticism and help her train it.”

“Like _The Karate Kid?_ Seriously?” Heather demanded. “Is that what we're reduced to?”

“We don't exactly have a Mr. Miyagi here.”

“While I am not opposed to any of you knowing how to defend yourselves,” Mrs. Hunter began, “I would prefer it if we found a way to resolve this without violence.”

“I can't get the manpower to have someone watching your sons twenty-four seven, but I think I can manage to increase patrols around your house,” Rhodes said. “I know it's not much, but my hands are a bit tied.”

“Yeah, but that basically means they're not safe to leave their house,” Veronica said. “What about school? JD's job? Seeing us at our houses? They can't go anywhere. And it's hard enough for them to do it now, but it's not right. They'd be prisoners in their own home. I don't care if it means they're safe. That's still wrong.”

“It is,” Nora agreed. “There has to be more we can do than this.”

* * *

“I'm not going back out there, so you can just forget it.”

Mark snorted, going over to the sink. They'd just done this a few minutes ago, but that time he had things to say. Not this time. He didn't have any advice, no encouragement. This was both their nightmares come to life, and he didn't have words for it.

He knew, as much as it terrified him, it was worse for JD, and that he couldn't fix, either.

“I am not going to force you to go out there. I don't want to do that any more than you do,” Mark told him. “I... I just... I wanted to hide in here myself.”

JD looked over at him. “Sure you did.”

“Please, that guy scares the crap out of me, and you know it. He is... sick. And he hurt us. The idea of even just seeing him again is hard. That was why we agreed we weren't going to his arraignment. We didn't want to have to look at him before the trial. And now...”

“Now we're good and fucked, right?” JD asked, putting his hands on the sink like he'd break it if he could. “I don't know how to walk out that door. Not the one into the hall—though that's bad enough—they'll all be staring at us—but outside, with him out there. I know he's out there right now. I know it. He is standing there with that smug smile on his face.”

Mark knew the one JD meant, and he shuddered. “So we go out a different exit.”

“And then what? We hide in our rooms for the rest of our lives?”

“Just until the trial, maybe.”

JD shook his head. “He's already won, getting bail. They told us that wouldn't happen, but it did. And now... now he'll walk free. We're not, but he is. He can do whatever he pleases.”

“Not completely. They'll be watching for him to do something to us. He'd be stupid to do it.”

“He's not an idiot. He's smart enough to get away with this crap, or have none of you listened to a word I said?”

Mark refused to let himself get baited. “I've heard all of it, and I don't discount a word. I know what that bastard is like, okay? I know better than anyone besides you, don't I? I've seen it. I've felt it. He... I just don't... I want to believe he won't try anything because he has to act innocent, right?”

“Oh, he can act it plenty.”

Mark nodded. His dad had told them how Bud had waltzed into the police station, so sure he'd never be arrested, trying to claim that JD had runaway and he was there to file a report. If not for the call Mark had made, Rhodes might even have believed him.

“Still, he can't come after us without jeopardizing everything.”

“He'll have a plan. He always does. His backup plans have backup plans. He's got some other cabin or something. Someplace where we really won't be found and—”

“None of which matters if he can't get near us.”

JD glared at him. “So, what? We lock ourselves in that basement and think we're safe? I sleep next to a fucking glass door. I do not feel safe, okay?”

Neither did Mark, but he didn't want to admit it, even if he should. “So we find somewhere else to stay for a bit.”

“Like where? Some motel? Your parents really able to afford that? And then what? I should never have gotten rid of that gun.”

A part of Mark regretted pushing for that now, too, but he didn't think it was safe for JD to have one. He had been close, Mark was almost sure of it, of just killing his dad out of desperation, not defense. And maybe others. Who knew how far JD could have taken it if he'd been pushed the wrong way? And now, with Bud Dean out on bail, he was being pushed again.

“We don't even know that the gun would have helped,” Mark reminded him. “What if they'd arrested you instead? That's how screwed up this seems to be, so... why risk it?”

“That's such a reassuring thing to say. Maybe you should work for a greeting card company.”

Mark snorted. “Okay, so we know I'm not the right person to give advice. That kid committed suicide because of me—”

“Attempted it. He's still in a coma.”

“JD, he is never coming out of that damned coma,” Mark said, not able to delude himself about that. “And even if he did... would he even want to? He wanted to die, for one thing, but he'd have a lot of problems if he lived, and how is that any better? Someone who hated their life before is going to hate it even more after that.”

“And you're still not to blame for that.”

“You're not to blame for the fucked up stuff Bud Dean has done, either,” Mark insisted. “You're not. I don't care what he told you or what he said or even if he never said it but you assumed it, you're not. He's the monster. You... you aren't. You were just a kid, you still are, and you deserved better. I want to say you finally have it, but even with my parents giving you a home and Veronica loving you and... me... it's not enough. He's threatening you again, and there's nothing I can think of to say or do because I'm just as scared. I'm not sure which of us is more afraid at this point because... as much as you know him better and you have all these reasons to be afraid of him... I'm afraid of him because he didn't get a chance to do as much to me and because I'm afraid I'll lose you because of him, even if it's not something he does.”

JD flinched. “I am not my mother, okay? I don't... I'm not killing myself. Even if that sometimes seems like the only option at this point.”

Mark grimaced. “It is not the only option.”

“Yeah? And what are the others? Go ahead. Name one. I dare you.”

None of the ideas Mark had seemed all that great, since they were either imprisoning themselves or going to what seemed like extremes to stay safe, so instead of saying anything, he swallowed and pulled his twin into a hug, holding onto JD and trying to convince both of them.

“We'll figure something out. We have to.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A ruling is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure I'll be satisfied with anything I write for this story, if I'm honest about it, as the way the other one was received set the bar high and I don't think I can reach that point again, ever, and I'm not really the type that ever thinks I did good, just one who posts and hopes and ducks for cover. I actually wrote part of this and set it aside because I thought it was the worst, and I reread it, have no idea what else I'd do, and so even if this isn't the best, it does move the story forward, so hopefully that can be forgiven. The alternative, of course, is admitting I can't finish this and take it down. And I've been doing a lot of thinking about that as I feel like I've lost what made the first one special and some other important things as well.
> 
> I know the court scene gets a little crazy, and a lawyer friend I had once said that court's not always as formal as it seems, but it's probably written wrong all the same.

* * *

“What about the court thing?” Veronica asked, looking over at Marla. She winced, looking back at the doors. “Do they actually need to be there for this?”

Brian looked at his lawyer. Holtz grimaced, clearly not liking being put on the spot in front of all the girls.

“I did recommend that the boys be here, yes. Not only is their physical condition a sign that Bud Dean should not have custody of Jason—”

“JD,” the girls chorused almost at once.

“—but if he was called on to answer where he'd like to be, he could testify about it,” Holtz finished. “It could be important.”

Veronica grimaced. “So we have to drag them out and into the court?”

“That's not going to help much,” Nora said. “Think about it. They're upset. Sending them in there might have the opposite effect of what you want.”

“I wouldn't put it past JD to mouth off because he's pissed at how this is going,” Duke said. “That and scared out of his mind, not that he'd admit it.”

“He should still be there.”

“I'll go,” Brian said, stepping away from his wife and the others, forcing himself toward the restroom.

Brian knew he was the obvious choice to go after the boys, even if he doubted if the sign on the restroom door would really have stopped any of them from going in if they intended to, not that group of girls. He knew some of them were less bold than the others, but in that group, they were practically unstoppable, and he was a bit worried about what they might try to do to keep the boys safe.

He grimaced, not sure what he could do to keep his son safe, and while it was still too soon to call JD his own, he didn't want anything happening to Mark's twin, either. He didn't think JD would ever let him as close as Mark had, and saying they were close now was a stretch, but his initial misgivings had been almost forced away by their near loss. 

And hell, it was hard to argue against the way they supported each other, even before they were kidnapped.

Brian knew that he'd done himself no favors, reacting the way he had, and he figured that some of them assumed he blamed JD for this, that it was his fault Bud Dean had taken both of them, but Brian was not that much of a bastard. Whatever his faults, he knew that JD was not to blame for having an abusive father. He'd had no choice in that matter, and he deserved better.

Marla was determined to give it to him, but Brian didn't know how they would now.

He pushed the door to the bathroom open, stepping inside. He almost wished he hadn't, not wanting to interrupt the boys like this. That hug was something special, something he knew he shouldn't intrude on, but it was too late.

They'd heard the door.

JD pulled away and stepped into the stall. Mark sighed, reaching up to run a hand through hair that was not there anymore. He winced.

“Sorry. Holtz says he thinks you two should be in court for the custody hearing. I'm not sure I agree, but he's the lawyer. He should be the expert, right?”

Mark shuddered. “They can't really do this, can they? Bud Dean is under arrest even if he's just out on bail.”

“It seems ridiculous to me, but I don't make the laws,” Brian said. “I think it's meant to protect people, the same way innocent until proven guilty is, but then there are cases where they are going too far. If I was facing losing you and hadn't done what I'd been accused of, I'd be grateful for the chance. As it is, I'm angry. I don't see how they could even think of giving JD back to that bastard. I wish I'd broken his face when I had the chance at the police station.”

Mark grimaced. “Dad, you'd be in jail. That wouldn't help anything.”

Brian nodded. “You're right, but I wish I'd done more.”

“Like what?”

Brian shrugged. Hell if he knew. “I know it's one thing to say, JD, and it doesn't seem to mean much as it's only words, but it's still true.”

“Whatever. Let's just get this over with.”

* * *

“Um, I'm pretty sure that doesn't count as fifty feet,” Heather said, and Veronica's eyes widened in a near panic as she turned back to look at the man in the back of the courtroom. She grabbed Nora's arm, and the other girl flinched, looking even paler than usual in that dark dress and makeup of hers.

“That's not really him,” Paige said, frowning. “He wouldn't be stupid enough to do that when he just got released, would he?”

“He might be arrogant enough to do it,” Martha said. “That's what JD said.”

“Shh,” Betty said. “Keep your voices down. If the boys hear you and know he's here, they'll freak.”

Heather looked at her, a bit surprised to hear Finn, of all people, saying that. Not that she wasn't a bit of a worrywart, but her concern over JD was a bit surprising. Heather wondered if the girl was going to grow a spine. She needed one more than anyone here.

“We have to do something,” McNamara said. “We can't let that guy get close to the boys. Not my sweetie Mark or my scary JD.”

Heather blinked. McNamara had a way with words, she supposed, but calling the boys hers was a bit of a stretch. “Like what? Shout that he's here? You think that's going to help?”

“If he violates his bail agreement, he goes back to jail, so yeah, maybe,” Paige said. “It might be worth a shot, if it's really him and not someone who just looks like him. JD said he was smart and devious, right? So why would he do this himself and risk getting arrested?”

“To fuck with the boys' heads, obviously,” Heather said. Bud Dean didn't just want to hit his son. He must like causing him other kinds of pain as well. The guy was one hundred percent creep.

The gavel smacked, and Heather looked up with the others at the man on the bench. “I know my court may not be as formal as some, or so you might think, but I don't much care for a bunch of gossiping girls in the front row no matter what the case might be.”

“We weren't gossiping,” Veronica said, standing up and looking back at where Bud Dean had been a minute ago. “Damn it.”

“Young lady—”

“Bud Dean was just in the back of the courtroom,” Heather said, standing up with Veronica. “We saw him. All of us did. He just violated his bail.”

“What?” JD asked, grabbing hold of the rail separating the lawyers from the spectators like he needed it to stay upright, his hand going white with the strain. “No. He—he can't do that.”

“We swear we saw him,” Martha told him, her voice full of pity. “We didn't mean to cause any kind of disturbance, but he shouldn't be here, right?”

“As is now clear, there's no one in the back of the court besides the deputies,” the judge said. “All of you sit down. If this was an attempt to influence my decision, I think you—”

“Your honor, please,” Holtz said. “The girls were just worried about the boys. We learned not long ago that Bud Dean, the same man that my colleague is arguing should have custody of Jason, was released on bail after his arraignment. This was understandably upsetting to all parties after what he did to the boys.”

“That has not been proven in court,” the other lawyer said. “Mr. Dean is still innocent until proven guilty, isn't he?”

“Fuck no,” JD said, just like Heather knew he would. “That man isn't innocent and never was.”

“JD, please,” Mark said. “This isn't helping, as much as I think we both would like to find somewhere to hide knowing he was in this room.”

The judge looked at them both. “I will not have one more outburst in this courtroom, are we clear? This is not a circus.”

JD glared at him like he wanted to say something else, but Mark tugged on his arm, and he managed to bite his tongue.

“As I understand the facts,” the judge went on, “these two are biological siblings, both adopted by different families. Those adoption records are still sealed, yes?”

“Um, for now, your honor,” Holtz said. “We've petitioned to have them opened, but Mr. Dean's arraignment and this custody hearing came first. We should have an answer to that tomorrow, actually.”

“And as the adoptive parents of the second boy, you feel you are in a good position to care for Jason Dean while his father—legal guardian—is in custody?”

“Yes, your honor,” Mr. Hunter said. “We've already rearranged things so that JD has a room of his own, clothing and furniture to replace the things he lost in his former home, and he's stayed with us since his release from the hospital. He is still welcome in our home, always will be, and with our combined income, we are more than capable of meeting both boys' needs.”

“Your honor, my client is no longer in custody, and he would like to have his son home with him. This is just a bit of teenage rebellion. I think that's clear to everyone.”

JD glared at him, but again his brother managed to keep him quiet. 

“And I suppose if I asked you your opinion, you'd say you wanted to be with the Hunters?”

JD met the judge's eyes. “I won't go back with that bastard. You might as well kill me because that's what he'll do. Though he's sick enough, he'd have made me watch when he killed Mark first.”

“Your honor—”

“I wasn't asking you,” the judge said to the lawyer. He studied JD and Mark. “These wounds are from the attack on both of you?”

Mark nodded, but JD was the one to speak. “Yes. He did this.”

“Your honor—”

“I am well aware of your assertion of your client's innocence,” the judge told him. “I know he has not yet had his trial, and as such he has not been convicted of any crime. That does not mean I won't ask questions of the child in question. Looking at the date on this paperwork, if this had happened a few weeks from now, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I'm not about to ignore that, either. This boy is old enough to know his own mind, even if he speaks it too much.”

JD almost smiled at that. Heather didn't know that he should. The judge could still rule against JD at any moment. He still seemed annoyed with everyone.

“Now,” the judge said, “I'm still trying to understand why we've all had to waste our afternoon on this. It seems clear to me that until Mr. Dean's legal matters are resolved, he should not have custody of Jason. That will remain with Brian and Marla Hunter until Jason comes of age.”

The judge banged his gavel, and Heather swore everyone moved at once, Veronica and Nora trying to get closer to the boys who'd already been embraced by Mark's parents in one of the most awkward group hugs, ever, as McNamara started a second hug around them.

The whole thing was crazy. Heather found it strangely fitting.

* * *

“I don't know why the fuck everyone's celebrating,” JD muttered as he finally got away from everyone but his brother and Veronica. He almost had to thank that judge. Throwing them out of the courtroom was about the only thing that would have stopped that nonsense, and he'd had enough of it. They hadn't won. This was ridiculous. “He'll still be there. Outside. Gloating.”

Mark winced. “JD—”

“Don't tell me he isn't. I know he is.”

“I wasn't going to,” Mark said. He looked toward the door. “I still don't want to go out there. I didn't see him in the courtroom, but I don't know that I could take it if I did.”

JD swallowed. He hadn't seen Bud, either, and he would have thought he'd have noticed if he had come in, but then he was way too tense to know if anything changed. He had just wanted the whole thing done, wanted to get the hell out of there, but he'd also had to fight so those idiots didn't hand him back to Bud.

Even now, he was still confused as to why they hadn't, since it always happened before, but he knew that it wasn't worth celebrating. Bud would be waiting out there. They were fucked anyway.

“McNamara offered to stage a distraction,” Veronica said. JD looked at her. She shrugged. “They all want to help. Paige even offered to get Mazz involved.”

“Wasn't he the kid who was on television lighting firecrackers in front of the school?” JD asked, trying to understand why the hell they'd want to drag someone else into this mess.

Nora nodded, looking at Mark. “Your dad had to go down and calm everyone down again after his pro-Harry comments.”

“Well, it would be a much better distraction than a cheer routine, but I don't know that it's a good idea,” Veronica said. “Last thing we need is someone else getting arrested.”

JD snorted. “Someone else? Bud didn't even stay in jail. Who the fuck cares if they arrest someone else? They'll just let them out, too. Or, wait, no. This kid would rot because the justice system is that fucked up.”

Mark winced. “Just because he made bail doesn't mean it's all over. You heard the judge. He left you in my parents' custody. It's not as bad as it seems.”

“Sure it isn't.”

“Okay, fine, it's still fucking terrifying, but what are we going to do? Go hide in the bathroom again? Seriously?” Mark demanded. “We can't. And you know it's not really what you want. You're the one that's going to walk right past him and flip him off because that's what you do, even if you're scared. You mouth off and get in people's faces. Me? I'm only brave behind a microphone, and that really doesn't do shit for us here.”

Veronica shook her head. “Look, no matter what happens, no one here is a coward, okay? This is not about who is brave or who's to blame. This is about surviving. All of us. Not just you or Mark... all of us. We're together now. We don't do this on our own anymore. Remember? That was part of Mark's speech after you two got out of the hospital?”

“Veronica, in case you missed it, my speeches are full of shit,” Mark said. Nora frowned at him, but he pulled away from her before she could touch him.

“Don't start that, either,” Veronica told him. “This is—do either of you really want Bud to win?”

“Fuck, no,” JD said. “But we don't have a plan. We don't have anything except a desire to make him pay and the knowledge that I should have just killed the bastard a long time ago.”

She flinched, and JD knew he'd said too much. He'd always known if he said what he really felt about Bud, if she knew how close he'd come to actually doing it, that she'd leave him. He was just lucky Mark hadn't told everyone he had a gun. Like they'd have stuck around if they knew.

And he shouldn't have gotten rid of it, either.

He knew what he had to do. He would have to end this once and for all, just like he'd thought before. He'd let Mark talk him out of it, but that was a mistake.

One he was going to fix. Soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get help as they try to leave the courthouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... apologize for what I said yesterday. I do find this story very intimidating in the fact that it is a sequel to a story that was rather... popular for one of mine and sadly one of few Pump Up the Volume fics period, and so it's hard to feel like I won't do something very wrong with this story. And then Bud went and hijacked things again like last time, which is frustrating but I didn't want to say that this story was hated or anything. I just worry even more than usual that it's not going to be good enough no matter what I do.
> 
> And I fret about that, and I say it in places I shouldn't, and this is part of why I banned myself from social media and stuff, but I forget sometimes with author's notes and need to work on that again.
> 
> I am hoping that when I get to the stuff I was planning on with the unsealing of the records it will be a little easier, and I did finally get to something I meant to do in the last story. I wanted to include this character, as he is one of my other favorites from Pump Up the Volume, but there were so many running around (two high school ensemble casts... eek) and I have a tendency to get overwhelmed by large casts of characters and so I ended up just making sure he got mentioned instead. Now he's not just mentioned.

* * *

“Yo, what's up, Beautiful?”

Paige heard the voice and had to smile in spite of how that used to embarrass her every day at school. She'd since learned that 'beautiful' was his name for her, and he used it more than he did Paige. She felt a little less like she'd been hassled every day and more like he could be a friend.

“Mazz, you're here,” she said, accidentally saying the obvious when she saw his outfit, trying to figure out how he'd gotten into the courthouse looking like that.

“You asked, I came. What's up?”

She grimaced, not sure how to explain this. She hadn't had much time when she'd called him, and now she felt stupid even if he'd come anyway. This was going to be awkward no matter what she did. “Um, you wouldn't happen to have more of those fireworks, would you?”

Mazz frowned at her. “You're not planning on blowing up your kitchen again, are you? Because I told you, you ever want to let loose again, I've got much better places for blowing shit up.”

She smiled. “I know. No, it's... you know JD and Mark, don't you?”

“The secret twins that are all over tv and stuff when they're not reporting about something to do with the Chandlers?” Mazz asked. “Or Hard Harry. They need to get off my man's back already. He hasn't done anything wrong.”

Paige knew that his broadcasts were actually illegal and the stuff he'd said or done on them broke other laws, too, but she didn't want to get into that now. They'd bonded over Hard Harry's show, and they were both still fans, but that didn't mean that she wanted to discuss it now. Hard Harry was still on the air, though she didn't know how long it would last with the cops staking him out. Mr. Hunter had offered what seemed like a good compromise, but the problem was, only they knew about it, as Hard Harry had said he'd been barred from getting his mail unless he wanted to get arrested.

They had to find a way to get him Mr. Hunter's offer, but that was a problem for a different day. Today, they had to deal with Bud Dean.

“You know how JD and Mark were taken by that guy?”

Mazz nodded. “Yeah. Scary shit.”

“They let him out of jail.”

“Fuck,” Mazz said. “After what he did? Not that I should be surprised. It's like Harry said. Someone's always getting butt-surfed by the system.”

“And they had a hearing today and the guy was here,” Paige said. “He's not supposed to be within fifty feet of them, but he showed up in that room and both of them are sure he's going to be outside waiting for them.”

“That's fucked up,” Mazz said. “You want to throw fireworks at him? That it?”

“We were trying to come up with a distraction so we could sneak them out,” Paige said. “I figured you could help.”

Mazz grinned. “Anything for you, Beautiful.”

“Come on. I'll introduce you to the others,” she said, pulling him along down the hallway. She led him up to where the four had distanced themselves—again—from the others. She knew it wasn't that unusual, since they were couples now, but sometimes it felt like they shared other secrets and kept more from the 'family' than they admitted.

The others saw them on the way, and she saw them moving closer to the couples even as she and Mazz reached them, the whole group crowding around again. She didn't actually know what she was going to say, but Mazz took care of that for her.

“So I hear you need a distraction?” Mazz reached into his pocket, taking out a lighter. “I might be able to help with that.”

Duke looked at Paige. “You called him?”

“Yo, chill, man. It's no big deal. I'd do anything for my girl Paige.”

“You got in trouble when you were on television,” Betty said. “Why would you want to risk that again? We're at a courthouse. There are police here.”

“Yeah, which just makes what they think Bud's doing that much stupider,” Duke said. “He shouldn't be close.”

“Yeah, but he's a grade A asshole, and he'll be out there,” JD said, putting a hand to his head. “Fuck this. I'm just walking out there. He gets me, he gets me. It's not like it's anything new. I don't even know why I'd think it would be anything different.”

“JD,” Mark said, following after him with Veronica and Nora running after him as well.

Mazz looked at Paige. “That was fun.”

She sighed.

* * *

“If you call me Dumptruck, even once, I'm shoving you down the stairs,” Martha said, hoping she sounded braver than she was. She knew she wasn't, but she didn't want Paige's friend—boyfriend?—thinking he could walk all over her.

Mazz held up his hands. “Not a word.”

She eyed him. “You mean that?”

He shrugged. “I had this Tonka dumptruck when I was younger. Was my favorite. That thing was the best.”

She stared after him, still confused, and then she forced herself on after the others because she didn't want to see JD or Mark get hurt. She knew that Bud Dean had been in the courtroom, and JD was probably right about him waiting out here for them, as scary and wrong as that was. Sure, it seemed crazy, since he could get arrested for it, but Bud Dean wasn't exactly sane. Sane people didn't do that to their kids.

She found the others gathered around the van. Had they been wrong? Was Bud not out here?

“Nice of the one with the keys to be the last fucking one to show,” JD snapped, and Martha frowned. She didn't have the keys. Yeah, it was her family's van, but she almost never did the driving. “Come on. Hand them over already. I can feel him watching me.”

“I don't have them. I didn't drive over here.”

“Shit. Who did? It wasn't me,” JD said, looking around as his memory failed him. “It wasn't me or Veronica or Mark or Nora...”

Martha looked over at Heather. “Do you have them?”

Heather shook her head. “I swear I gave them back to you when we got here.”

“No. I don't have them. You have a purse, right?”

“No.”

“Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me,” JD said. “How did we lose the keys?”

“JD, please calm down,” Mark said, passing his brother a cigarette. “It's not the end of the world. Even if he is over there. He's not going to come any closer. He wouldn't dare.”

“And I've got this if he does,” Mazz said, holding up a firework.

“And what good is that going to do?” JD demanded. “Yeah, sure, he probably gets off on explosions, but that is not the least bit useful right now, okay?”

“He's standing over there to intimidate you, right?” Veronica asked. “What if... we pretend he's not? Let's all turn and flip him off or something. Screw him. He doesn't get to hurt you anymore. He's done. He might not realize it yet, but he is.”

JD frowned at her. “That's so—”

“Don't say stupid,” Heather said, turning toward where the boys kept looking. She held up her hand, middle finger up, joined by McNamara, Paige, and Mazz. 

Nora laughed, nudging Mark as she lifted her hand up. He grimaced, but eventually they were all doing it, Veronica before JD, but she got him to do it. Even Betty joined in, and somehow it made them all less mad when the Hunters showed up with the keys.

Martha didn't think that they were thrilled about how they'd all chosen to show their defiance of Bud Dean, but Mrs. Hunter did at least smile a bit. Mr. Hunter seemed a lot less pleased, but then he was the school commissioner and had to worry about that sort of thing.

And at least none of the reporters were out here to get it on camera, since they'd end up suspended again and in trouble with their parents for sure if someone got a picture of that.

* * *

“I'm in the mural,” Mazz said, smiling as he looked back at Paige. “Nice.”

She smiled back at him, though Heather would be a lie to say that it wasn't a little awkward having him around them. She wanted everyone to be happy, but they barely knew Mazz, and her sweetie and her scary were both on edge, unable to sit still in the clubhouse. They hadn't eaten, either, even though Mark's parents brought down food for everyone.

Mrs. Hunter even said there was cake for later, to celebrate, but neither of the twins was in the mood for it. JD hadn't said much of anything since they got back, just wrapped himself around Veronica and buried his face in her neck.

She looked worried, but he couldn't see it.

“We're dancing to Hard Harry's music,” Paige said. “Like it says.”

“'Talk Hard,'” Mazz said. “That's my man Harry.”

“You know who he is?” Heather asked, curious. Paige had said they didn't really want to know who Harry was because it would lose the myth, but that didn't make her any less curious about him. She wanted to know who he really was.

Mazz shook his head. “No. No one does. I just... you know... I listen, and he gets me. Like... sometimes it's like he's not talking to anyone but me.”

Mark frowned. Nora took his hand, cradling it in hers as she spoke. “I feel that way a lot of the time. Like he knew the stuff I was thinking but couldn't voice... like we had a connection even if we'd never met.”

Mark looked at her, and she leaned in to kiss him. Heather smiled. They were cute.

“He spoke directly to me once,” Martha said. “After that horrible letter and Kurt humiliating me, Harry spoke to me.”

“He might not be speaking to anyone,” Mark said. Everyone looked at him. He fidgeted. “They want to shut him down. The police are watching the mailbox. It would probably be easier for him to just end it.”

“That's just because Harry doesn't know about your dad's solution,” Heather said. “Once he knows, he can agree to it, and it'll be fine.”

Mazz frowned. “What solution?”

“Mr. Hunter thinks Harry can be brought in to do an official radio show for the school. Approved content under a license. Keeps him on the air in a legal way.”

“Censored? Fuck, no.”

“But since he can't even get his mail, he doesn't know about the offer,” Heather said. “That's part of why we were wondering if you knew who he was. So we can get him the offer. Isn't it better to have him on the air no matter what?”

Mazz shrugged. “I don't know. Not sure it would be him if he didn't talk about sex and swear like a sailor, so it might not be worth it. Like that guy he spoke to the other night, the one into dudes. You think he could do that at Westerburg? Hell, no. They'd shut him down. Then your jock friends would beat his ass for taking a gay kid's side.”

Disgusted, Veronica shook her head. “Ram and Kurt are not our friends.”

Mazz gestured to the wall. “You put them in your mural.”

“Dancing around a fucking cow,” JD said. “It's social commentary, not an invitation. Even the cows are too fucking good for those rapist assholes.”

Mazz smiled. “I like it.”

“Good for you,” JD muttered, untangling himself from Veronica. He took a cigarette out of his pocket and put it in his mouth.

“Hey,” Betty said with a frown. “I thought we agreed no smoking in the clubhouse.”

“Um, Betty, I think tonight the boys have a pass,” Nora said. “Not that they're the only ones who smoke, but asking them to go outside right now is... I don't think it's a good idea.”

“You think Bud's out there?”

“I am so tempted to say something Heather Chandler would have said,” Duke muttered, adding something under her breath that came close to 'pillowcase.' “Yes, we think he's out there. In fact, if I pull these curtains open, I think we'd even see him.”

“That's not fifty feet, either.”

“So call the fucking cops,” JD said, lighting his cigarette. “Oh, wait, by the time they get here, he'll be gone.”

Veronica shook her head. “We are going to find a way to fix this. One that gets him back in jail and makes sure you two stay safe.”

“Well, since Nora's parents are never home, Mark could stay at her place. Shame your parents are so uptight about it, or JD could stay with you, Veronica.”

“No,” JD said, shaking his head. “Veronica's not safe, either. Yeah, he wants to hurt me, but hurting her would just about kill me so he'd do it.”

Veronica went over to him, taking his cigarette and wrapping her arms around him, closing her eyes and holding on tight. He hugged her back, and Heather gave them a smile because they were kind of adorable, too.

“You're not losing me.”

“Damn straight I'm not. I'll die first.”

“Can we please stop with the dying talk?” Mark asked. “We're not dying, and we're not going to do anything stupid. There are other ways of making sure we stay safe as long as Bud is out there. I mean, I don't love it, but... what if we took a trip?”

“Road trip!” Heather said, almost bouncing with excitement. “I am so in.”

“We're not suspended anymore, Heather,” Duke said. “We can't just leave like that. And no one actually said they'd invite the clubhouse. Those four usually don't.”

“That's just because you get so uncomfortable with a little bit of affection,” Veronica said. “Well, and so does Mark, but seriously, we are not excluding anyone on purpose. Some things just don't need an audience.”

“Speaking of,” JD said, and she laughed, shaking her head as he pulled her toward the doorway. 

“Come on, JD. I was kidding.”

“Nope. Need to get you alone now.”

“Come on, guys, this is ridiculous and you so don't have to—”

“Sliding doors,” Mark said, and JD stopped, turning back to him with a curse. Mark lowered his head, ashamed, and Nora bit her lip as she touched his back. “I'm sorry. I just... You... it's not safe.”

Mazz frowned. “What am I missing here?”

Veronica sighed. “JD's bedroom has sliding glass doors in it. It's the way out to the backyard. So if Bud is standing out there across the street—”

“And he is,” Duke said, peeking out the curtains.

“—then there is nothing but a bit of glass between him and JD in his bedroom,” Veronica finished, her face betraying how much that upset her.

“Damn,” Mazz said. “Maybe you should take that trip.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning is a little rough for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we get to the plot I meant to do... which may or may not be a bad idea, but it has been nagging at me for a while, so... here goes.

* * *

Brian tried to open the door and frowned, not able to budge it. He looked over at Marla, who frowned. He swallowed, knocking on the door. This had better not be what he was starting to fear it was. He knew the boys must have had a rough night. He and Marla had checked on them more than he swore they'd ever done when Mark was a baby, going down the stairs and peeking into each room—clubhouse and bedroom—and while they'd seemed quieter than usual, nothing had raised any alarms.

Well, maybe there was a slight bit of concern when it came to someone sticking a sign on the door that said _sex in progress do not enter_ but that was a different matter altogether, and he had to figure that it wasn't that unreasonable for either boy to seek out physical comfort as well as the emotional support their friends were giving them.

“Hello?”

He heard shuffling and the door opened, a sheepish Martha standing in front of them. 

“Sorry. I guess I got the spot next to the door.”

“Not a problem,” Brian told her. He had a feeling none of them were going to make school this morning, not that he could blame them. He certainly didn't feel like going to work, not with Bud Dean free to terrorize his son.

“I just wanted to let everyone know I've made breakfast,” Marla said. “JD's favorite, but there should be a bit of something for everyone.”

Martha looked back into the room. “I think they're finally asleep.”

“They're in here?”

She nodded. “Um, actually... Mark reminded everyone that they had glass doors on JD's room, so we made a circle around them inside this room to keep them safe on the couch.”

Marla smiled, though Brian didn't miss the sadness in it. “Oh, thank you. That's very sweet of you. Well... as soon as you're ready to eat, there's food.”

Martha nodded. Brian gave her a quick smile, turning away to check the other room. He was almost afraid to open it, like Bud Dean would be standing behind the door, but when he swung it open, the room was empty. JD's bed was made for a change, and while he suspected that pile of clothes on the floor was Veronica's, he wasn't going to make an issue out of it.

He crossed over to the door and looked out across the street. He didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean that the boys would feel safe. He wasn't sure he did.

“Brian?” Marla asked, coming up behind him. She wrapped her arms around him, and he took comfort in her presence, as always.

“I think we may need to move.”

She sighed. “You may be right about that. Or at least we might look into a security system.”

He eyed the glass again. “I'm not sure that's enough. The boys are right... there's almost no protection for them here. And while I know they probably liked it before with all the smoking they do and how we asked them to do it outside—”

“I asked them to do it outside. You just about blew a gasket when you found out they were still smoking after getting out of the hospital.”

He grimaced. “I am never going to win father of the year, but I have been trying to be... accommodating. I just... smoking. It's not just about the rebellion factor. It's dangerous and unhealthy and illegal.”

“Only for a few more weeks on the illegal part. Come on. You need to call your office and cancel everything you had planned for today.”

“What?”

She laughed. “Oh, please. I know you better than that by now. You are not going to want to work with your son in danger. Not even the promise of a distraction would get you out of the house today.”

“You already called in, didn't you?”

She nodded. “Before I started breakfast.”

* * *

“Wow, Mrs. Hunter,” Mazz said, his mouth stuffed full of pancake. “You are a really good cook.”

She gave him a smile, though Heather had to admit his table manners were awful and wouldn't have gotten any kind of smile from her. He was on the gross side, and she didn't know how Miss Perfect Paige could stand him.

She didn't see what Veronica saw in JD, either.

“It really is delicious,” McNamara said, “but then it always is, Mrs. Hunter.”

“She's right,” Paige said. “Really good as usual.”

Heather knew if she ate much more, she'd have to start thinking about a new wardrobe, and she refused to get fat, even if she didn't purge these days. She hadn't since that day Hard Harry told them to get crazy, and she loved actually tasting her food for a change, but it was dangerous, too. Mrs. Hunter wasn't the only one who was a good cook.

“I think we should have a costume department in the clubhouse,” McNamara said, and Heather looked over at her with a frown. “Well, Betty makes them, right? But also... this isn't the first time we've had an impromptu sleepover. We could all use something to change into after a long night. Come on, don't tell me you don't want out of that outfit.”

Heather had no idea where her belt had gone and she regretted the skirt a little trying to sleep, especially since they'd had extra guests and were all crammed into one room. The clubhouse was crowded when the twins and their girlfriends took up the whole couch.

“I suppose I could use a change of clothes and a shower, but that doesn't mean we need a costume department.”

“Costumes would be awesome,” Mazz said, and Heather shot him a dirty look. No one had asked him. He wasn't even an official part of their group, even if he'd made the mural thanks to Paige.

“You don't get a vote.”

“Hey,” he protested. “I'm invited, right? And I don't think you're the leader around here, are you?”

Heather glared at him. She should be, by all rights, but somehow that role went to JD because he was “scary.” She didn't love it, but as JD was more than a little preoccupied, someone else could easily step in to fulfill the necessary role, and she knew it wasn't going to be McNamara, Finn, or Martha. Hell, it wouldn't be Paige, so as long as the boys and their girlfriends were distracted, it was Heather's for the taking.

“I think that costumes would be nice,” Martha said. “Not that they'd look good on me, but I'd think it would be fun.”

“You'd look awesome in that dress we drew you in,” McNamara said. “Betty can make it. That's the first thing she should make. It'll be a great project. We should go get fabric later.”

“You really shouldn't,” Martha said. “It would be a real waste.”

“I think you're wrong, and Betty's going to prove it,” McNamara told him. “Right, Betty?”

“Um...” Betty flushed. “I'm really not a seamstress, and I don't know that we should do this while JD and Mark are being threatened.”

“I think a distraction might be a good idea,” Mrs. Hunter said. “I'd even like to contribute some fabric I've had around for forever. I'll look for it later. I was hoping one or both of the boys would be up by now.”

Heather looked back at the stairs. “I'd bet JD and Veronica are in the shower by now.”

“Together?” Mazz asked, and Heather sighed. Pig.

“You'll learn that JD and Veronica rarely separate for much of anything,” Paige said. “They're one of those couples.”

Mazz shrugged. “Not such a bad thing. If you have the right person.”

“And I suppose for you that's Paige?” Heather asked, folding her arms over her chest.

Mazz grinned at her. “What, are you jealous?”

Heather rolled her eyes. “Of you or any other boy at that school? Please. Spare me.”

* * *

“There's no one out there now,” Nora said, turning back from the window. “Either he got tired and gave it up or he didn't want to do it in the daylight.”

JD grunted, not looking at her, and Mark tried to force a smile, but she could tell he wasn't really reassured. He looked like he wanted to crawl somewhere and hide. She didn't like this. They shouldn't have to be this afraid of Bud Dean. He'd been locked up and he should have stayed there. For good.

How much longer until the trial anyway?

She hoped it wouldn't be very long. She wanted him back in jail as soon as possible. No one who could do that should be walking free. Not when everyone knew he'd do it again.

“Hey,” Veronica said, tugging on JD's jacket. “It's going to be okay. We are going to get his ass thrown back in jail. And he's going to stay there this time.”

“Yeah, and how do we do that? Set a trap? Bud has never fallen for that shit before, and he is so not going to do it now. You saw it. He knew just when to leave the courtroom so that he did the damage he meant to do and got away with it. Just like he did with that tree in Kansas and my mom.”

Veronica frowned. “What do you mean, your mom? I thought you said she committed suicide.”

JD flinched. “She did. It's not—just forget it.”

“Um, I don't think any of us can,” Nora said. “So you should just tell us because we will keep asking.”

“Yeah,” Mark said. “That's... it's not the kind of thing you can just say and not explain. It sounded a lot like you were saying he killed your mom and—”

“She walked into a building he was blowing up. They said it was an accident, but she waved to me, okay? She knew what the fuck she was doing, and she did it anyways. He got away with blowing her up, though, so... fuck him, too.”

Mark winced. “I'm sorry.”

“I told you before—I don't want your pity.”

“And it's not pity. It's an acknowledgment of how very fucked up that situation is, okay? Your dad—adoptive father—was an asshole and your mom couldn't cope and killed herself. Or he killed her, depending on how you look at it... and it's just wrong, okay? It is,” Nora said. “I'm not sure it could get much more fucked up than that.”

“I don't know,” Mark said. “Knowing what we went through at his hands, I honestly have to wonder—and I'm sure JD has, too—if it really was suicide.”

JD shrugged. “Whatever it was, she's dead, he's responsible, and he's still out there making our lives miserable. I should have just shot him.”

“No. We have other options,” Mark said. “Look, we haven't really discussed the trip idea, but what the hell? It's not like we ever got a real family vacation before, so why not? And we're not even in school, so we're not missing anything we weren't before.”

“That's still hiding.”

“Maybe, but it would be a lot better than sitting around here and letting him screw with your heads,” Veronica said. “And you are not going to jail because of Bud because I refuse to lose you. We're going to make sure he goes away for a long, long time. All you two have to do is survive until the trial, and that's what's going to happen.”

“She's right,” Nora said. “We're either going to get you far enough away from him he can't do shit to you or we're going to get him back in jail for violating his bail, but he doesn't get to win. None of us will allow that. I kind of like the trip idea, just because it doesn't involve anyone getting hurt and most of the things that would get him back in jail would mean that or at least... he'd have to get close, and I don't want that.”

She looked back out the window again. “He's not here now.”

“Not during the day,” JD said. “He'll be back to screw with us tomorrow night.”

Mark sighed. “That trip idea is starting to sound better and better.”

“One problem with that,” Nora said. “What will you do about Hard Harry if you leave?”

He put a hand to his head. “Quit? It's not like I can keep doing it like this anyway. I don't know. Fuck.”

* * *

“Are you sure you don't want any food?”

JD looked at the table, his stomach twisting up, and he shook his head. Normally he'd make more of an effort, even when the meds were messing with him, because he'd learned long ago to eat whenever he could because he couldn't guarantee he'd get another chance, and it wasn't usually hard because Mrs. Hunter could cook, but today he had no appetite.

Mark didn't, either. He accepted a glass of juice and his mom's fretting but made no attempt to eat.

“We're going to start a costume box,” McNamara said, looking at JD with a big smile. “So we will always have clothes here.”

“You realize costumes are not clothes, right?” JD asked, but before she could answer him, the doorbell rang. Everyone tensed up, not just him. He could feel Veronica's hands on his shoulders, but it didn't do anything to comfort him.

“I'll get it,” Mr. Hunter said, moving around everyone to answer the door. 

JD followed him, Veronica trailing after him, and he got to the other room in time to see Mr. Hunter wave the lawyer inside. He let out a breath, and Veronica rubbed his back.

“Hello there, Jason.”

“JD,” he corrected, annoyed. “What do you want?”

Holtz held up a file. “This was sent to my office this morning. They made the ruling already, and this was sent overnight to us.”

JD frowned. “I thought you said they weren't ruling on that until today and it was supposed to take a lot longer than the other court bullshit we're dealing with?”

Holtz winced, rubbing at his forehead. “Um... Well, under normal circumstances, it's highly unlikely you would have gotten more than non-identifying information about your birth parents, just minor health information, but the circumstances of this case are... rather unique.”

JD folded his arms over his chest. “Oh, yeah?”

“What's going on?” Mark asked, joining them in the other room. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Supposedly, but he hasn't explained how we got it so fast yet.”

Holtz sighed. “I was in the process of that.”

“Why don't you come into the other room and explain it to everyone at once?” Mr. Hunter suggested. “We've got a full house at the moment.”

Holtz took in the others and nodded, and JD thought he looked more uncomfortable than before, not wanting to tell everyone what was going on. “Well, as I was saying, there's some extenuating circumstances in your petition. As Bud Dean had attacked Mark for looking like JD, we had a case to argue that any other blood siblings or possibly a parent could be at risk as well. They rushed the decision based on that, and it came in your favor.”

JD swallowed. “That's our actual birth certificate? Or just that non-identifying bullshit you were talking about before?”

Holtz handed the envelope to Mr. Hunter. “This should be all the documentation including, as I understand it, copies of the original birth certificates.”

“I wonder if the name she gave you at birth was terrible,” Duke said. “Like maybe you're something more ridiculous than JD.”

He flipped her off. She shrugged, smiling slightly, but he had to admit he hadn't given much thought to this before.

“It doesn't matter what your name is,” Veronica told him. “I'll still love you.”

“Aw,” McNamara said. “So cute.”

“Fuck you.”

“Relax,” Mr. Hunter said, flipping through the paperwork. He handed the one to Mark, who took it and swallowed. “There's no name on either of them.”

JD took the paper, reading it over. He wasn't kidding. The space for his name just said _Baby Boy,_ and he wouldn't have known it was his if it wasn't filed in with the other paperwork from his adoption.

“What the fuck?” Mark said, and JD frowned as he looked over at him.

“What? Yours has a name?”

Mark shook his head, coming over and taking JD's certificate from his hand, running a finger over the box near the top. “That can't be right.”

JD took the papers back, comparing them and trying not to gag. “Wait. That's not... it...”

“I thought maybe it was a mistake on mine,” Mark said, “but yours says the same thing. And that... it can't be right.”

“What is going on?” Duke demanded. “Does it say that your biological father really is that asshole Bud? Is that it?”

Veronica shook her head. “The father's name is left as 'unknown.'”

“So why are they freaking out?”

“This box here... the one that says what kind of birth it was... it's not marked twins,” Nora said, leaning over the papers and looking at them the same confusion.

“What?” Mazz asked. “Come on. They're like so obviously twins. They have to be, right?”

“Not exactly,” Paige said. “There's another possibility, but that's crazy, isn't it?”

“Are you fucking telling me they're triplets?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The implication of the birth certificates leaves everyone reeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I always planned on exploring this angle. Bud just came in and screwed things up a lot the way he does.
> 
> And my insecurity didn't help matters, since this is... such an emotionally charged idea and it's another reason to be worried because I'm sure I won't have reactions right. Still, I didn't want to raise that idea and not follow through. I want to finish this, though it is admittedly difficult right now.

* * *

“Triplets?”

As if it wasn't bad enough knowing that JD and Mark had been separated all of their lives, there was another one out there who had no idea he had family and who might be in a situation just as bad as JD's had been? Veronica tried not to gag, but she did feel sick. This whole thing was fucked up and wrong, since JD and Mark should never have been split up in the first place, and they might never have known about each other. Worse, they might never have known about their brother, either.

She couldn't believe how messed up it was that they only found out about this because of Bud's abuse, either. If he hadn't gone after the boys, they wouldn't have been able to see their original birth certificate, and they'd never have seen that mark that said there were three of them.

“You're joking, right?” Duke asked. “They're just... twins. Three would be too much. Too weird. Impossible.”

“I think there's a statistical improbability of a natural live birth of triplets, but it doesn't make it impossible, just... unlikely,” Betty said. “People _do_ have triplets, but they are rare. Rarer than twins, but also not impossible.”

“I think it's more of a how much worse can this situation actually get reaction,” Nora said. “I mean, it's messed up in the first place that they got split up, but now there's another one, and we have no idea where he is.”

“It's definitely a third one and not... a mistake?” Martha asked. “They could have checked the wrong box or something.”

“This is written out, and I don't think it's a mistake,” Mr. Hunter said, “even if I think I would like it to be. Not—don't think I'm against them having more family. I'm not. I just... I can't believe that someone was willing to do this to three children.”

“Well, if they were telling us the truth about her, she was an unwed teen mother, so I suppose I could understand why she would feel like it might be too much for her to handle on her own,” Mrs. Hunter said, “but it's still so... horrible. The idea that they felt that there was nothing wrong with separating you three like that...”

“I'm sure they felt it was just fine given how much money they got for it,” JD muttered. “If they got twenty thousand from you for Mark and we assume my mom paid something for me, so why the fuck wouldn't they split us three ways? Hell of a lot more money in that, right?”

“Damn, that's fucked up,” Mazz said. “What are you going to do?”

They looked over at the lawyer. Holtz pulled at his collar. “We will likely have to file another petition. They did answer this one due to the risk posed to any blood relatives of the boys, and I think a third brother would be a reason for us to get more information.”

“What about hiring someone to find out more about their birth mom?” Veronica asked, biting her lip. “We have a name, a city, and a state. That might be enough to tell us some more, and this is about more than just another brother, not that we don't want to know what we can about him, too.”

“Fuck that. I'm done with this bullshit,” JD said, walking away from them. “Never wanted or needed a brother. Sure as hell don't need two.”

Veronica winced. That was so just him lashing out because this whole thing had thrown him off—it would throw _anyone_ off, learning they had another brother, and while they'd survived it once, doing it twice was too much for anyone.

“You know he doesn't mean that,” McNamara told Mark, who lifted his head and stared at her like he didn't know what she'd even said.

“Mark?”

“Um... I don't... I need air,” he said, pushing past everyone and following after JD down the stairs.

Veronica put a hand to her head, knowing she had to go after her boyfriend, but she had no idea what to say to him now. It was hard enough trying to reassure him before, but now? A third brother, who could be anywhere, even dead, and who knew what their real mother was like—maybe she was a kind woman who was far over her head with triplets, but what if she was a monster like Bud?

This was so messed up.

“We're going to do everything we can to find out about their brother,” Mrs. Hunter said. “And if he's in a bad situation, we will fix that, too. We'll fight for custody of all of them.”

“Yes,” Mr. Hunter agreed. He looked at Holtz. “You have any contacts that would know private investigators? Or should I be asking Rhodes about that?”

“I don't have any experience with ones that aren't local, but Rhodes might have more contacts for you. I'd suggest you start there.”

Mr. Hunter nodded, going off to the phone. Mrs. Hunter looked around at the rest of them like she was trying to figure out what to say. Veronica wondered if it would be easier for her to send them all home. Knowing JD, he'd want that, but the others probably wanted to help, too.

She had no idea how they could.

“We could start looking for her ourselves,” McNamara said. “Call everyone with that name in the phonebook from her city.”

“If we can even find a phonebook like that.”

“Try the library,” Nora said. “There's usually ones for different cities in there, though I'm not sure they have any for other states.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Mrs. Hunter said. “Just let her know that we'd like to talk to her if we can. Nothing pushy or judgmental. We just need to know a bit more about her and her other son.”

“Totally, Mrs. H,” Mazz said. “We got it covered.”

* * *

Brian sat down in his office, taking a moment to stop and breathe. He hadn't expected that revelation, not at all. He'd thought those kinds of secrets were done already, when JD showed himself. His status as Mark's twin was pretty much undeniable, but it had still been difficult to accept. He'd wanted to ignore it, as they had one son—one mostly well-behaved if distant and misunderstood son—and at first he'd wanted to keep it that way. He knew it wasn't the best attitude to have, that he'd been wrong, and he wanted JD here now. It wasn't just the fact that Bud Dean should never have had access to any kids, but JD himself was proving to be as much a part of the family as Mark was.

Only now... a third brother. What did they do with that? Would they want to bring him into this mess? What if he became a target for Bud as well? That man was out there, terrorizing the boys, and he could hurt the third boy, too.

Or that third boy could be dead or something, and what did they do if he was? If their brother had died before they ever met him, it would be tragic. They'd all want someone to blame. Someone should be made accountable for all this, but who? The adoption agency? They were out of business, and even then, he wasn't sure what they'd done was illegal, just morally reprehensible.

“Most of them left to go to the library,” Marla said, coming into the room. She shut the door behind her. “The boys are downstairs with Veronica and Nora. I don't know if they've spoken or not.”

Brian nodded. “I haven't made any calls yet.”

“I think we all need some time to think this through, to understand what this might mean for us.”

Brian let out a breath. “I know that if the boy's situation is at all bad, we'd want to take him in just as much as we do JD. I hope it's not. I want that boy to have had a good life. They all deserve one, and it is... I hate that JD has lived through what he has. I wish we'd known about him sooner. We'd have taken him in. We'd have done it when they were babies if we only knew.”

Marla nodded. “Yes. We would have.”

“And I think, as much as I want this boy to have had a good life, I'm worried about that, too. How awkward is it going to be if we have both JD and Mark and this other family wants to interact? The boys will probably want to despite what JD said earlier.”

“He's upset and he's not thinking straight. His way of coping is pretending he doesn't need anyone, but then he does. He needs Mark. He needs Veronica. And he needs us.”  
He did, though how much they could help him before they lost him to age eighteen and adulthood was debatable.

“We could do this in person.”

Marla frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Hire the private detective,” Brian said. She tensed. “We discussed it a bit before, but maybe it's better to just take them both away from here until after the trial. With Bud out there, how safe are they going to feel?”

“I know, but we were also discussing making good memories for them. Our first trip as a family shouldn't be about hiding, and think of the disappointment if we can't find their brother or he... died or their mother—”

“I know. I thought about that, too. I just... I don't know what to do. It was one thing not being able to reach Mark when he was unhappy about the move. We almost lost him to Bud Dean, and I can't think of a single good way to keep him safe.”

Marla crossed over to his side. “We haven't given up yet. We'll get a security system. And we'll hire bodyguards if we have to. We will find a way. And maybe that way is taking that trip, but I'd like to have some idea what we're walking into first.”

Brian reached for the phone. “Let's see if Rhodes has anyone he'd recommend hiring or someone else we should ask for a recommendation.”

* * *

“I cannot believe we are hanging out with him,” Heather muttered, eying Mazz across the room. He was so going to get them kicked out of the library. They'd been giving him dark looks since they walked in, and if he so much as spoke, they'd be out of here in an instant.

“You know, not everyone is going to dress like you want or think like you want,” Paige said, being officially too nice and annoyingly right at the same time. Few people saw her with any kind of authority, which Heather wanted and thought she deserved. “That doesn't mean they can't be helpful or good friends.”

“She's right,” Martha said. “We are all different, but we're friends. We've been able to help each other, and that matters. Right now, the boys need us. It's not the first time the boys have needed us, but they've also helped us—”

“They helped McNamara,” Heather said. JD and Mark hadn't done shit for the rest of them, and they all should be aware of that. Even now, what they'd done hadn't been enough. Ram was still hassling McNamara and no one was standing up to them with Heather Chandler gone. She could keep them in line. Heather wished she could, but all she'd gotten was laughter and a pinch on the ass. “Not the rest of us.”

Martha shook her head. “If you think forcing Ram and Kurt to back off is just for McNamara, you're insane. Okay, so maybe neither of them would bother with me because I'm fat—”

“You're not fat. You're just extra curves and loving,” Mazz said, and Martha embarrassed herself by blushing. Did this guy really think that he was smooth? Or that anyone bought that? “So, ladies, what have we found so far? Anything in those phonebooks we can use?”

“Not much,” McNamara said. “They only have a few out of state ones, and only for major cities. So we can look for this lady—”

“Mary Jo Lawson,” Paige supplied, having been the one to write it down from the birth certificates.

“Right. Her,” McNamara said. “Anyway, we can check big cities for her under that name, but if she got married or changed it for any other reason, we won't find her.”

“I've got the book for the biggest city in her particular state, but it might not do us any good,” Heather said. She'd made sure to get that book for herself since it was probably the only one that might be useful. The others weren't even worth checking, and even with this being in the same state, it was rather pointless. “There aren't a bunch of women with her name in the book, but even so... she might not even live in that city, so it's not going to make much difference even if we do get to call these people.”

“Why wouldn't we call them?” Betty asked, frowning. “That's the whole reason we came here, to find the numbers to call.”

“Agreed.” Heather gave her that much, but they were fooling themselves here. “But whose parents are really going to allow this kind of long distance bill?”

Betty grimaced. “The Hunters would.”

“Think about it for a second, Finn. They're shelling out for a lawyer who charges by the hour. He's already done a lot of work for them, but now he's going to do more. They're going to hire a private detective, too, to track down this mom of theirs and the other brother.” Heather got the feeling none of them had thought this through. No one was adding up the cost, and it would be a big one. “This is going to bankrupt them.”

“It is not,” Martha said. “We won't let that happen. I have a job of my own, and I'm willing to contribute toward finding the brother and the mom. And the legal costs. We all can do that.”

“And I think if we split up the cost of the calls, that would also help,” Paige said. “We can do things that will make it easier on all of them. All of us. Because we're family now, right?”

“Yes,” McNamara insisted. “And we're going to get through this together as a family.”

* * *

Mark pushed the door to the clubhouse open, not surprised to find JD had gone back in there after coming downstairs. He probably took one look at the glass doors and backed out of his own room, and Mark didn't blame him for that.

He'd tried to take a few minutes to sort out what he thought of any of this, and that had gotten him nowhere. His mind couldn't seem to keep an opinion for more than a second. He was all over the place, and while he'd been tempted to break something or turn on his music so loud he shook the house or something crazy, he'd been too numb to do anything.

He was doing no good sitting on his bed, alone, and he didn't know what he'd said or done to get Nora to leave, but he was sure he would hate himself for it later.

He sat down on the couch next to his brother, looking down at his hands. He had no idea what to say, but if JD had somehow pushed Veronica into not sitting next to him, things were bad. The girls should probably hate them both by now, though he knew they weren't gone yet. He didn't know if that was a good sign or not. He couldn't think.

A part of him wasn't even sure he could breathe, but he kept on doing it in spite of himself.

“This thing just gets more and more fucked up,” JD said, lighting another cigarette. He took a drag and let it out. “Three of us. Three.”

“I know.”

“Bad enough the shit we've been through, but what about that kid? Who knows what he got stuck with. Maybe someone worse than Bud.”

“Or someone better than my parents.”

“Or her. What if she kept him and threw the two of us away?”

Mark winced. “Don't say that. Whatever she did—we're not garbage, and even if my parents paid for the adoption, if both of them did... we're not just property. My parents love me. They don't understand me or know me, but they still try. And yeah, Bud is... Bud's an asshole. You never should have gotten stuck with him. Still... you loved your mom, right?”

JD shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe. Before it got messed up with her leaving me like that. It's hard to love someone who chose death over you. Sure, Bud was no picnic, but what the fuck? Why couldn't she have gotten us both out?”

“You do realize that if she was that desperate, she could have killed you both.”

“And I'd have been better off.”

Mark shook his head. “No. I don't believe that. JD, as much as all of this... sucks, as much as I hate a lot of what happened and what we went through, even what I did or said—God, how many times did I fuck things up as Hard Harry?—I'm still glad we were able to meet. It matters. It matters so much more than you think because he has you believing you're nothing, but not to us.”

“Hug me again, and I smack you.”

Mark had no interest in being touched right now. “I wasn't planning on it. I just... I sat there, trying to understand how I felt... and I don't know. I can't think.”

“Me, either,” JD admitted. “I don't want to know anything about him. Her. Them.”

“Only you do,” Mark said, since he felt the same way. He was afraid to know more about their birth mother. He didn't know if he would get along with his other brother the way he did JD. “I was sitting there thinking and... what if he is dead?”

“Wouldn't fucking matter. We never knew him.”

“That's not how it works.”

“Fine. We'd be angry as fuck with the world for a different reason,” JD said. “We'd have a new reason to hate everyone and everything because in addition to my life getting fucked over by them letting Bud Dean adopt me, we never even met the third one. We don't even know anything more than there was another. And we assume it's a brother, but who the hell knows? We got screwed out of our childhood. Maybe it would have sucked ass to be in the system together, or maybe she would have lost custody of us no matter what, but we could have gone our entire lives without ever knowing the other existed. Hell, we were at the same fucking school and didn't know it until Ram and Kurt decided to beat you because you looked like me.”

Mark sighed. He wanted to say he wouldn't be angry, but he was. He was still angry that he'd been lied to, that he'd only found his brother by dumb, painful accident, and he was afraid they were already too late to meet the other one, if he even existed.

He looked at JD. “What if it's a damned typo?”

“Someone dies.”


End file.
